


The Final Fight

by Anibelli



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship, Happy Ending, Miraculous Classmates, Peacock Nathalie Sancoeur, not pathetic hawkmoth, this took me a week to plan please read
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 04:56:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14371359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anibelli/pseuds/Anibelli
Summary: Marinette and Adrien are almost powerless against the Apocalypse, thanks to Hawkmoth and Le Paon. They need help. A lot of it. And they're lucky Master Fu has eleven extra Miraculous for their disposal. Time to stop Hawkmageddon.





	1. Prolouge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They make a plan.

“This is bad.”

Marinette nodded distractedly as her partner entered the massage room. Master Fu sat across from her, contentedly sipping his tea and ignoring the gigantic problem that loomed over Paris.

The sky was still dark, despite being midday. Every five minutes, a flash of white would pass by the tinted windows, indicating another patrol went by. Blood stains covered the street, and the cackle of an Akuma would pass by. If you watched long enough, the image of a panicked and frightened civilian would reach your eyes, and you’d watch them scamper from hiding place to hiding place, trying to find somewhere safe to spend the next five minutes, before they were inevitably caught by the patrol. But no one suspected the Tea and Massage Shop, the one that appeared closed down.

Adrien collapsed next to her, rubbing a bloody hand over his face. She gasped and grabbed it, looking for the injury. He put his hand over hers and shook his head. It wasn’t his.

“A woman was collapsed on the ground. I helped her get her consciousness back and had another man take her,” Adrien didn’t mention he was almost caught by another Butterfly Patrol. No reason to panic Marinette any more. She slumped against his side, and his heart didn’t race like it normally would when his Lady pressed up against him. There were too many things at stake. “Any luck here?”

“Master Fu isn’t being very helpful,” Marinette grumbled, and Adrien saw the Master’s lips turn up at the corners.

“I am only telling you what you need to know, Marinette,” Master Fu‘s voice creaked. “You ask too many questions. You don’t need to know the exact characteristics of every Kwami, or every possible candidate. Kwami’s are sentient beings. They can choose their holders themselves.”

“What’s going on?” Adrien cut in. Marinette sighed.

“We can’t do this alone. Ladybug and Chat Noir aren’t enough to fight off this army. We need help.”

“We have Rena Rouge, Queen Bee _and_ Carapace.”

“Well, they’re not enough. Nooroo _and_ Duusu have been taken. By adults, against kids, who aren’t as experience or powerful as them. Hawkmoth’s Akumas and Peacock Nuit’s mind control are too overwhelming. Both their powers control other people, which allows their forces to just keep growing. We need more help, And Alya, Chloe and Nino won’t cut it this time,” She turned to the old man. “Master Fu has eleven minor Miraculouses that we can use. I just don’t know who to pick for them.”

“You don’t need to choose, Marinette. Ask them. Ask your own Kwamis. They can speak French too, you know.” His eyes twinkled with amusement as Plagg and Tikki flew out to join Wayzz on the cookie plate.

“You have some very promising people that you see almost everyday,” Tikki chimed in, munching on a sugar cookie. Marinette and Adrien shared a glance.

Did Tikki mean at his photo shoots? Or at the bakery? Maybe during their daily patrol they ran into someone? Or the people that dropped off their baking and Camembert shipments? Or their piano instructors or their fashion design teachers? Or…

“Oh god.” Marinette realized, the sinking feeling in her stomach growing immensely.

“Hmmm…” Adrien hummed. The possibility would be difficult, irritating, dangerous even. But…

“I could call Chloe and Nino, have them spread the message,” Adrien suggested. Marinette studied his face for a minute, her facial expressions ranging from intrigued to horrified. She nodded.

“I’ve got Alya,” She decided.

“I will summon the missing Miraculous,” Master Fu told them, standing up.

Wayzz cleared his throat. “I haven’t felt any activations from the missing Miraculous. I assume they are still dormant.”

“Summon? How?” Adrien asked, standing up as well. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

“There are many things you do not know about me,” Master Fu hummed, turning his back and leaving the room. Wayzz flew after him, followed by Tikki and Plagg. Marinette turned to face Adrien, still on the ground. She sat, almost like a broken doll.

She’d never admit it, but she was terrified. Her parents were taken. The were under Peacock Nuit’s control, and the only way to get him back was to take down Hawkmoth. It would make sense that she wanted more help, to do it as quickly as possible.

Adrien’s Father and Nathalie were missing, though Adrien had received an extensive note written in Nathalie’s perfect cursive, explaining that they were out of town. It didn’t seem right, but he hoped it was true.

He helped her to her feet, and she collapsed against his chest.

“Is this a good idea?” She mumbled into his ripped shirt as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He nuzzled his cheek into her hair.

“Probably not. I can already tell they won’t take this well.”  
She muttered unintelligible things, muffled by his black tee. He held her silently, watching her shoulders shake from the heavy breaths.

“Still,” She told him as she pulled back. “I’ve got you.”

He grinned, leaning forward. “Yes you do, Princess. You can have as much of me as you want,” His words quieted as he leaned forwards and kissed her neck. She sighed and reluctantly pushed him back. The motion reminded him of something he tried to stop thinking about.

_“So,” Marinette started, her eyes wide as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing. “You’re Chat Noir.”_

_It wasn’t a question._

_“And you’re My Lady…” He said, gazing at her, wondering how he never noticed it before. It was so obvious it almost made him depressed. All this pinning after her, and he sat in front of her in class._

_“This is… wow. I’m so stupid. I knew the back of your head looked familiar, but I never thought it would be sweet, quiet, hot as hell Adrien Agreste…” She said, her gaze meeting his eyes. His eyes widened as he tried to form a thought. “And to think all this time I actually had a crush on the complete dork Chat Noir… This changes things a lot.”_

_“You had a crush on me?” He blurted out. She opened her mouth, and blushed._

_“Uhh, yeah?”_

_“Hmmm,” He hummed. “Maybe we should go out sometime then? I mean, I love you. I could never have asked for a better partner in battle, or a better friend. Can I upgrade you to girlfriend?”_

_Her eyebrows skyrocketed and she opened her mouth. Then hesitated. Gulped. And said, “No.”_ _  
_

_His face fell. “But… you said-.”_

_“Not yet, actually. It’s too dangerous. If we start dating, and suddenly Chat Noir and Ladybug are dating, it’s too obvious. Hawkmoth could figure us out immediately. Plus, it puts our families and friends in danger. He would consistently target us, over and over until he beat us. It’s too risky.”_

_Adrien opened his mouth, but stopped. She was right. Even if they ‘delayed’ Ladybug and Chat Noir’s relationship, it would be too dangerous. They would become vulnerable if they had more attachments to each other besides being partners. His eyes found his feet, and he played with the hem of his jeans._

_“Once he’s defeated, though, I will gladly go on a date with you,” She declared._

_His head snapped up, meeting her excited face. He broke out into a smile, and leaned forwards to connect their lips. She took a deep breath and pushed him back gently._

_“We shouldn’t…” She sighed, eyes falling to the floor. He nodded, grabbing her hand instead._

_“As you wish, My Lady,” His lips pressed to her hand, and she chuckled._

_“Did I just get ‘Princess Bride’ed?”_

_“Of course, Marinette. You deserve it.”_

A loud spark, and crash came from outside the window. Marinette and he raced to the glass, gazing out at the building that lost its door. Another Patrol fluttered around a man, who was crying for help. He screamed and sobbed as they ripped at his flesh until he finally stopped resisting. Marinette stiffened as his limp body was now carried off with the Patrol. She moved to follow them, but Adrien’s grip came back, now vicelike and unforgiving. She struggled.

“Adrien, let me-.”

“No, Marinette. We can’t help him anymore.”

“But, he’s hurt and I could help if I really tried and-.”

“It’s too dangerous. The Patrol will get you, no matter what. You know we can’t stop it.”

“Please!”

“I’m sorry. I can’t lose you.”

“Adrien, please I can save him! Please! Let me go!”

“I’m sorry, Marinette.”

“Adrien!” Her voice was cracking now, her throat feeling dry as her voice ripped at it. She flexed again, attempting to break the grip on her arms. She reached for the door frame, the door’s edge, the handle, _something_ for her to grab onto. She couldn’t reach.

“I’m sorry. I love you. I’m sorry,” He felt her body become limp, and tried to ignore the angry tears welling up in her eyes. He pulled her tighter as a broken sob escaped.

“I could’ve helped…” She whispered, her voice wrecked. They stood in silence, .

He held her until Master Fu returned with the missing Miraculous. Master Fu ignored them as they regained their composure. All three of them knew Marinette hated looking weak in front of anyone. Marinette wiped her tears away and stood up, turning to Fu. He nodded without looking up.

It was time for their new plan to be put into action.


	2. One Down, Ten To Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Answers?

It took a lot of planning, but finally everyone was safely inside a boarded up classroom, the desks being used as seats as their classmates muttered and whispered nervously. Why would Ladybug need them so desperately in the school? And all together too?

The door swung open. Every student tensed, but when they saw blond and raven hair, they relaxed. Kim opened his mouth to ask a question immediately, but a sharp elbow from Alix quieted him. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir looked like they had seen everyone they’ve ever loved die right before their eyes. Their classmates had never looked so defeated, destroyed.  _ Dead _ .

Ladybug carefully placed herself upon the teacher’s desk, Chat Noir standing beside her. Equal in height now, they gestured for everyone to sit. She looked around the room, doing a headcount.

Alix stood next to Kim and Max. Max was in front of Mylene, who was standing with Ivan and Nathaniel. Nathaniel was across from Rose, who was sitting with Juleka and Luka, Juleka’s brother. Luka stood behind Chloe, who was holding Sabrina’s shaking hand. Sabrina had watched her father be kidnapped by the Butterfly Patrol. Nino and Alya stood off to the side, hands tightly held together. They gave the two heros sad looks. In the back, sulking alone, was Lila.

Ladybug took a deep breath.

“Hey, everyone. I’m sorry it was so dangerous to get over here, but this is for something bigger than our own lives. It for all of Paris. All of France. The World itself is at stake here, and Chat and I could no long do it alone,” She caught Adrien’s glance, and he squeezed her hand. She turned back to the class. “I’m sorry we have to do this, but.. but at this point it’s become imperative that we receive your help.” 

“We can’t reveal ourselves to you, because assuming this plan works, it would be too dangerous for us to be revealed. But we can reveal some of the help we’ve received. If that’s okay with them…” Chat Noir pointedly looked at the ground to avoid his classmates gaze. He waited a second, and right before he was going to move on, someone spoke up.

“I’m Rena Rouge,” Alya said finally, raising her hand. The class gasped.

“Queen Bee,” Chloe flipped her ratty hair, finally not bothering about her appearance. The apocalypse took up most of her focus. A few choking sounds were heard.

“Carapace, against my personal beliefs,” Nino looked pointedly at the two heros. They shrugged. A look of disbelief was shared between the classmates, and Mylene wavered in her seat. 

“Nino, you were a natural. And it’s time to be a natural again, unfortunately. Here, Alya and Chloe. I have Trixx and Pollen. Chat, would you-?” He nodded and pulled out the box holding the Turtle Miraculous.

The boxes were opened, and three new Kwamis were released. The class screamed. Trixx immediately flew to Alya, nuzzling noses with the dark skinned girl. Wayzz greeted Nino with a friendly one fingered hand-shake. Pollen sassily insulted Chloe’s outfit, which enraged the blonde girl, though Marinette could see the true happiness behind her facade.

“What the actual  _ fuck _ ,” Kim started, “is going on?”

“Being Ladybug and Chat Noir,” Chat Noir started, and Marinette felt a swell of pride hearing her name come first from his lips, “we have the power to hand out Miraculous to whoever we see fit. Hence us picking Alya, Chloe and Nino. And that’s why you’re here. All eleven of you are temporarily going to receive Miraculous, and help us destroy Hawkmoth and Peacock Nuit.”

The class was silent. Mylene shook in Ivan’s arms, and Rose shrank down in her seat after glancing at Trixx. Max shimmied nervously away from Wayzz, and Nathaniel flinched at Pollen’s buzzing. Then Alix stood up.

“Alright,” She called out. “How does this work?”   
“The Kwami’s come with Miraculous.” The five holders flashed their jewelry items. “These Miraculous are vessels for your Kwami's to enter when you command them with a certain phrase. You will receive your outfit and powers based on the Kwami's abilities and appearance, like us. Our Kwami’s are already activated, hence our transformations.” Chat explained. Ladybug blinked as the class turned to her. She quickly wondered how Adrien wasn’t the one to be elected Class Rep.

“Uhhhh…” Ladybug pulled out the large bag of boxes. Chat Noir sifted through and pulled out a random box. “We were told that the Kwamis would pick who they would assist themselves. Kwami’s need a holder who is like them, and will host their abilities well. Plagg, Chat’s Kwami, needed a charge who was eager, to counter Plagg’s laziness, but protective and powerful. Trixx needed a holder who was clever, quick, strong and with a big imagination. That’s why Alya was such a good choice for her. Your Kwami will be temporarily yours, but you will quickly bond with them. Don’t be surprised if they know your name. It’s part of the magic.”

“I think maybe we should do one a day?” Chat whispered into her ear. She frowned, thinking about how chaotic opening all the Kwami’s in one day would be. That would cause a problem, that’s true.

“Okay. We’re going to do one a day. That way each person who receives it can have some time to practice and learn their abilities, while showing it off to the class, allowing us to learn to work together.”

And with that, Adrien opened the first box.

A large flash of light revealed a small blue creature, who’s stoic appearance didn’t change as it peered around the room. It sat down on the desk, forcing Ladybug and Chat to part. It’s blue hue was a deep color, with two dark gray horns that curved around its head. It’s small tail swished around as it assessed the class, the tuft of hair floofy and soft.

“I am Taurrin,” He declared. “I am the Ox Kwami. I grant the power of super strength,” He swooped down and grabbed the small blue pin, labelled with the Ox’s symbol. The class shifted uneasily at his deep voice, which seemed too deep for such a small creature.

“I need a holder who is large. You and you, come here.” Pointing at Kim and Ivan, the two largest people in the room stood up nervously and headed over. Kim smiled anxiously, while Ivan stared back quietly. 

Taurrin flew through the closed door of the classroom, leading to the courtyard. Ladybug and Chat Noir followed, leading the class to a destroyed gymnasium. With two flicks of their wrists, Ladybug and Chat Noir cleared the floor of it’s large rubble pieces, except for the largest chunk of concrete where Taurrin had placed himself atop.

“I need Ivan Bruel and Le Chien Kim to come forward. You will both one at a time move this block. Whoever moves it the farthest will be my charge.”

“Is that all?” Kim asked timidly. Taurrin nodded.

Kim went first, slowly stretching out before pressing his palms into the concrete and shoving with all his might. The rock didn’t move, even though Taurrin seemed to be muttering words of encouragement. Ivan went next

Ivan’s large palms covered more of the concrete than Kim’s did, and he started pushing. Nothing happened, but after a couple of minutes a yell of rage escaped his mouth and the concrete inched forwards. Taurrin stopped talking and flew towards Chat Noir, grabbing the button.  

He flew to Ivan, and pinned the button to his chest. Ivan straightened, glaring down at the Kwami as the class cheered.

“How’d you do that?” Rose cried.

“Taurrin must’ve been telling you something awesome to let you do that!” Nino cheered.

“No, actually.” Kim muttered. The class quieted down.

“Taurrin was insulting us. He kept saying awful things about weakness and failure. I got angry,” Ivan explained.

“And I gave up.” Kim sighed. 

“That was not a test of physical strength, but mental strength. Both you young men are strong, but Ivan prevailed. Kim’s strength lies elsewhere. His Kwami will come soon enough.” Taurrin confirmed. 

The class was quiet as Taurrin started to explain the transformation process and his abilities.

“You will be granted the power of super strength. Your horns will be your form of a weapon, as the other minor Kwami’s and I do not produce weapons. To transform, you will need to say my name, then the word “Charge”. After you say those words, I will be sucked into the pin. And you will transform.”

““A-alright. Taurrin, Charge!” A blue light overcame Ivan, and standing in his place was a bulky blue figure with large horns covering his forehead. A skinny tail with a tuft of fabric at the end swayed behind him, irritated with the attention he was receiving. Jagged layers of fabric was spread around the suit, appearing like fur on an Ox. Ivan’s suit even included a bull’s nose ring.  _ He looks very intimidating _ , Marinette noted.

Ivan slowly looked at himself, noting his tail and horns. His boots were dark like Taurrin’s hooves. He jumped up and down a few times, and leapt up to the ceiling, touched it, and landed heavily. He ran a lap around the gymnasium, before crashing his head into a concrete block and cracking it in two. The class cheered at the true strength of his abilities. He lifted Mylene into the air without a problem. He lifted Kim as well. He played around with his powers a bit, effortlessly lifting the concrete chunk from before into the air and breaking it to pieces.

Once he finally detransformed, it was night, and the class was exhausted from the fun. They each chose an abandoned classroom, grabbed fabrics from the Art Classroom, and made makeshift beds. They stayed there for the night.

Marinette and Adrien boarded off their room to make sure no curious classmates of their would come looking for their identities. Luckily no one had mentioned the missing classmates Adrien and Marinette. They probably assumed they had been captured and didn’t want to talk about it. Marinette couldn’t blame them. She tried not to think of her parents, though she knew they would already be under Peacock Nuit’s control. 

Adrien took out the extra pair of clothes he slept in and changed, while Marinette attempted to get the sink working. Her mouth felt gross.

Some water was able to trickle out, and using the supplies she managed to scavenge from her home and the nearest abandoned store. Adrien came back as she washed her mouth out, and she started choking. His sweats were dark and hanging off his hips loosely, and he was struggling with his torn tee shirt, his abdomen exposed. Being Chat Noir had made his body all corded muscle, and Marinette struggled to keep a strangled noise from escaping her throat. She turned away quickly and brushed her hair furiously.

A chest pressed into her back, and arms wrapped loosely around her waist. By the looks of it in the cracked mirror, Adrien abandoned his shirt and decided to torture her instead.

He buried his face into her neck, pressing soft kisses down her jaw and throat. She gripped the edges of the sink to keep her mind cool. She forcefully thought of different fabrics to keep herself sane.

Adrien felt Marinette stiffen underneath him, and started to rub soothing circles into her hip. She stiffened more, and he moved his kisses up to her face, kissing her cheek and temple and forehead and hair and-

A small shriek erupted from her mouth and she spun around quickly, swatting him with her brush and pushing him off her.

“W-what are you-?”

“Stop! Making! Me! So! Flustered! I need to focus! And sleep tonight!” She shrieked, her face as red as her Kwami, who was passed out in the back of the room with Plagg.

“Okay, okay! Stop hitting me!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk what's going on at this point either  
> Don't worry I promise this story gets better but it just takes a while.


	3. Let's Have a Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tikki and Plagg decide they want to chat with the class.

In the morning Adrien found his arms wrapped around a sleeping Marinette.

He couldn’t stop his lips from curling up as he gazed down at her. Raven hair winded around her jaw, sweeping down her neck and tickling her spine. Freckles splattered over her nose, but only when he looked close enough. Her eyelashes swept up in a perfect arc, and he would know, having a stylist attack them before every shoot. Her chest rose and fell softly into his, causing his heart to simultaneously pound and stop with every inhale she took. Her knees were drawn up tightly to her stomach, and the odd position reminded him of why they were cuddling.

Adrien had woken to a small whimper, and when his eyes finally opened from his slumber he found a small girl shuddering and quietly muttering to herself in her sleep. Adrien took a moment to realize it was Marinette, and she was crying. Softly crying, nonetheless, but still crying as she gripped the ratted blanket and murmured her parents names over and over and over.

Adrien shuffled closer, reaching out, when she flinched and loudly cried out his name. Her voice shook, wobbling as he stared at her, wondering what she could possibly be dreaming about that her parents and he were in danger. He unfroze and sat up, reaching for the shaking young woman and bringing her into a tight hug, slowly caressing her back and placing soft, light kisses that barely reached her skin. He wrapped the blanket around their shoulders, rocking her slightly as she slowly calmed down, possibly as the dream ended or turned in a more positive direction, though Adrien couldn’t be sure.

A soft murmur of “Chaton,” shocked Adrien away from reliving the past, as his attention was diverted back down at the girl of barely eighteen who shifted in his arms.

“Morning, bugaboo,” He purred down at her as she snuggled into his chest, stretching her legs out. Her eyes fluttered open as she gazed up at Adrien, before turning red and shoving him backwards across the floor, scrambling to her feet.

“W-what are-were-what-you-Adrien!” She blurted out, clutching the blanket to her chest. He cracked his shoulder and winced as he peeled himself off the ground.

“Cuddling? It’s not like it’s the first time this has happened, My Lady.” He straightened and stretched out his muscles. His arm ached from where Marinette was laying on top of it, but he didn’t care. She was too cute for him to mind.

“B-b-but weren’t doing that last night! I went to sleep over there,” Her frantic hand flew to one side of the room, and then the other, “And you were there!”

“Yeah. And then we were right here,” He slid forwards in his socks, pressing up against her and leaning down seductively. She squeaked and ducked under his arm, scurrying quickly to the other side of the room.

“Why were we… Why was I-”

“Pressed up to my half naked body under a ratty blanket?” He suggested coyly. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish, before closing it and nodding repeatedly. He looked back to the door they had boarded up. It reminded him of his isolated home, in some twisted way.

“You were having another nightmare. I couldn’t fall back to sleep so I did what I could to help.”

Marinette stilled, her eyes softening and looking up at him with mixed emotions. He turned away, realizing he made the situation awkward and attempted to busy himself with dressing for the day. He pulled on a new, semi-clean shirt and grabbed a pair of jeans, sliding them over his boxers. He attempted to ignore the soft footsteps that slowly increased in speed, flinching slightly when he felt skin on his body.

His stopped moving when he realized her arms were wrapped around his torso tightly and her cheek was pressed firmly to his back. He peered over his shoulder to see her eyes closed as she closed the miniscule distance between them, squeezing him tighter than before. His face melted into a soft smile, and he maneuvered his way about so he was hugging her as tightly as she was him.

A small yawn, followed by a much louder and more irritating, obnoxious one stirred the partners. They turned their necks towards the clump of fabric Marinette had shoved into the corner that the two Kwami’s had made into a bed. Adrien’s hands slipped down to her hips, gripping loosely as Plagg rolled over onto Tikki, the red Kwami ignoring him as she blinked up at them.

“Marinette,” Tikki started. “I had a vision. I think Plagg and I should introduce ourselves to the class.”

* * *

Marinette and Adrien hovered nervously behind the door. Tikki refused to tell Marinette about her so called "vision", just saying they should speak to the class. Marinette’s pacing steps almost drove Adrien mad, so he eventually had grabbed her by the waist and picked up bridal style. Marinette had squeaked and buried her face in her hands, but hadn’t moved away from his arms. They both stared quietly into the one way glass, the mirror side showing the inside of the gymnasium, where Tikki and Plagg introduced themselves to the nervous class.

“Hello everyone! My name is Tikki! I am Ladybug’s Kwami, and I power the Ladybug Miraculous, as well as give Ladybug the power of good luck and creation. This is Plagg. Say hello, Plagg,” Tikki instructed. Plagg yawned again.

“Hey, kiddos. ‘M Plagg. The Black Cat Kwami. I grant the power of Bad Luck, Chaos and Destruction. You can interpret that as: I’m the fun one.” He told the class, stretching and lazily floating around Tikki. She huffed in frustration.

A hand raised near the back of the group. Everyone turned to Max.

“Having the ability of Bad Luck doesn’t sound too appealing,” He pointed out.

“Well, yes, you have a point, Max,” Tikki started.

“But it’s not that simple, sorry kid. Yes, my holders tend to get unfortunate luck compared to their counterpart, Ladybug. But it only seems that way. Honestly, in a real battle, Chat Noir, or any of the previous Black Cats, would be considered lucky. They suffer far less damage and injury than a normal person would during battle. That’s usually because of Ladybug’s Good Luck aura she emits, but it’s also because the Bad Luck ability allows all Black Cats to send bad luck to their enemy, consciously or subconsciously.” Plagg pulled on his whiskers.

“So Ladybug’s good luck protects him?”

“It mostly protects her, but yes part of it protects him as well.”

“Why doesn’t she use her powers to protect him? Chat Noir always seems to be getting in trouble. Couldn’t she stop that?”

“She’s not supposed to. Ladybug can cleanse Akumas and restore order to the nearby area, but only if she has someone protecting her from harm. Chat Noir is vital to the fight, as his main role is a guardian and fighter. Ladybug is mainly the healer. They make two sides of a coin. That’s why they have to be Soulmates, or the connection would fail.”

Both Adrien and Marinette’s minds went blank.

“Soulmates?” Rose cried. “Oh, how romantic!”

“Not necessarily.” Plagg shrugged.

“The term ‘Soulmates’ does not directly refer to romance, Rose. It means two souls that are perfectly matched, balanced, weighted. They could be two sisters, a mother and son, a father and daughter, two brothers, a brother and sister, two friends, two lovers, two enemies, two strangers. Who they are as a person does not matter. Their souls matter. Everyone has a soulmate, but Ladybug and the Black Cat need to be two equally powerful souls that are in perfect harmony, or it won't be as powerful or precise.”

“They need to be like Sun and Moon.” Plagg suggested.

“Black and White.”

‘Dark and Light.”

“Water and Fire.”

“And they need to be one side of these things as a civilian, because the Miraculouses are the other. The MIraculous' abilities need to counter their civilian state. Ladybug needs to be a Moon, to counter the Sun-like state of the Miraculous.” Tikki explained.

“And vice versa for Chat Noir,”

“Ladybug needs to be dark in her normal state, so the Miraculous’s light can counter that.

“Chat Noir needs to be calm and flowing, like water. The Miraculous’s destructive abilities counter that calmness.”

“And Ladybug needs to be a fiery spirit, countering the Water-like state of the Miraculous.”

“That’s what makes them Soulmates,” Plagg finished.

“What about the current Ladybug and Chat Noir? What type of Soulmates are they?” Nathaniel asked. Tikki and Plagg shared a look that made Adrien and Marinette avoid eye contact..

“It is currently undecided. They started as strangers. They are currently friends. We will see how it turns out in the end.”

The class murmured to themselves. Tikki finally rested on the desk, Plagg joining her.

“Any other questions?” Tikki tried. The students turned to her, as if trying to decide what to say.

“Do you know who will be chosen today?” Mylene asked timidly. Plagg snorted.

“Kid, if we could tell the future, wouldn’t we already have stopped this Apocalypse?”

Lila scoffed. “I think you should’ve stopped it anyways. What type of superhero actually allows the Apocalypse to happen?”

Her unspoken words left a bitter taste in the air. _If I was a superhero this wouldn’t’ve happened._

 _“_ Our heroes did the best they could. Obviously our enemies are too powerful, or we wouldn’t all be here right now,” Alya demanded

Chloe spoke up, “Yeah. Ladybug’s way better than you’ll ever be, anyways. She’s almost as great as me!”

“Without Ladybug and Chat Noir,” Nino told them, “would any of us be here today?” The class shook their heads collectively. “Think about it. How many of us turned into Akumas to seek revenge on someone? How many of us would have been successful? How many lives would’ve been taken? We owe everything to Ladybug and Chat Noir. I don’t think we could’ve asked for better heroes.”

Tikki and Plagg sat back confidently as the students murmured agreeingly. Their job was complete for the day. They moved through the mirror and stopped in front of their charges.

“Well, that was a rousing success,” Plagg admitted, purring.

“I’ll say. I didn’t know you were such a good public speaker, Plagg.” Marinette commented as Adrien set her down.

“I didn’t know that you actually knew stuff besides which brand of cheese will make my wallet empty the quickest,” Adrien grumbled. He’d had Plagg for four years and he never knew any of that stuff.

“Tikki, Spots on!”

“Plagg, Claws out!”

* * *

When Chat Noir entered the room, the talking stopped. He walked over, his smile reaching his eyes for the first time in days.

“Hey guys. How were Plagg and Tikki?”

“Weird,” Kim shuddered.

“Interesting,” Luka offered.

“Wise,” A deep voice contended. The class jumped as Taurrin flew out from Ivan’s pocket.

“Wise never struck me as a good description of Plagg. Maybe ‘always hungry and whiney’.”

“Plagg is a cat,” Taurrin tilted his head, as if one of his horns suddenly became heavier than the other. “His nature will be unpredictable. But Plagg has spent many lifetimes experiencing pain and loss and sorrow. Such challenges will make even the most obnoxious beings wise.”

The Kwami settled on his holder’s shoulder, and Ladybug appeared in the doorway with the large bag. She placed it lightly on the floor and pulled out another box. With a small smile, she handed it to her partner.

Chat Noir pried it open, and a round pink creature with big floppy ears tumbled to the ground. It groaned and rubbed it fuzzy head, before glancing up and smiling brightly.

“Well this is interesting,” She murmured, before leaping into the air.

“Hi!” She squealed, “I’m Truffles, the Pig Kwami!” She gasped loudly and flew towards Ivan, who flinched and scrambled backwards. Taurrin flew towards her calmly.

“Hi Taurrin! It’s been a while!” She grinned, the black spot around her eye creasing with her smile. He nodded quietly, bowing in response. “Is this your charge?”

“Yes. He will do nicely in the fight to reclaim Nooroo.”

“Yes, he seems to be the type to work well with the Ox Miraculous. Well chosen.”

Truffles turned around, staring at each of the classmates respectively. One caught her eye.

She flew towards Rose, who squeaked in surprise. “You smell like flowers!”

“Y-yes!” Rose cried. “I like gardening!”

“So do I!” Truffles cheered. “Flowers smell nice and _are_ in the ground. What type of flowers do you plant?”

“Well, I like Violets, and Tiger Lilies, Roses and Tulips, oh! And Sunflowers!”  
“Such beautiful flowers! Tulip bulbs are very tasty too! If I was your temporary Kwami, could you spare a few bulbs for me to eat?”   
“O-oh of course!”

“Then what do you say we make this official?” Truffles flew in a circle around Rose, and the small girl attempted to follow her.

“I’d like that!” Rose smiled gently.

Truffles flew back to grab the bracelet, but froze when she saw Ladybug and Chat Noir.

“So it is true?” She murmured. Ladybug raised an eyebrow.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, nothing. It is good to see two healthy holders taking care of Tikki and Plagg and their Miraculouses. They are the most important Miraculouses ever made, aren’t they?” Truffles bowed politely before flying past the heroes and grabbing her Miraculous. She brought it back to Rose, allowing her to admire the new bracelet and trying it on, leaving Marinette and Adrien to wonder what she was talking about.

“My command is Sniff. Once you transform, your sense of smell will be heightened, so it may be a bit dizzying, but the suit’s stability should keep you from passing out. You will be able to smell things up to 25 feet underground, so make sure you learn what different things smell like. Okay, whenever you’re ready!”

Rose cheerily called out, “Truffles, Sniff!” and a bright pink light made its way down her body. Her outfit was a light pink, a long curly tail hanging near her knees. Her eye was ringed with black. Two floppy ears sat on her blonde hair. Rose continuously sniffed the air, surprised at what she could smell.

She and Ivan tested out her abilities while transformed. They worked together as they trained her nose. Ivan dug holes and buried items for her to start remembering the scents.

Trixx peeked out from Alya’s jacket. She wasn’t surprised at how Truffles reacted before. She knew that the Pig Kwami wasn’t great at hiding her sudden emotions, but Trixx was hoping she would notice that Tauruus didn’t acknowledge anything, or that Wayzz, Pollen and her haven’t shown their faces yet. Trixx couldn’t blame Truffles. It was just in her nature. But she worried about the rest of the eleven’s reactions.

Trixx just had to see how it played out. And luckily, being a fox, that was her nature.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it interesting yet?


	4. That Isn't Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another choosing; Another obstacle.

Marinette awoke to a scream.

She sat up with a start, her head spinning around as she tried to spot the source. A body thrashed next to her, and she scrambled backward.

Another scream.

“Adrien?” She murmured, her heart racing. She scooched forwards, her hand resting on his shoulder lightly right as he flailed around again. She quickly dodged his hand, before grabbing it and holding it. Her fingers interlaced with his as she pulled him close, thinking of the self-defense courses she remembered. “The closer you are to someone, the harder it is for them to hit you.”

She buried her face into his shoulder as he whimpered and screamed again. She remembered when this had happened before. She remembered it had caused Adrien to scream all night, and she ended up with a black eye she still had remnants of that were visible with her mask off.

Adrien had confessed that morning, with eyes that displayed his exhaustion and a voice still raspy from screaming, that Hawkmoth had been speaking to him through dreams using Peacock Nuit’s powers.

He then had to restrain Marinette as she attempted to march out the door and punch Hawkmoth in the face.

Adrien told Marinette that Hawkmoth didn’t seem to know his identity, as he kept calling him “Chat Noir,” but Adrien proclaimed he didn’t feel comfortable that Hawkmoth could find him in his sleep, right before he passed out for the rest of the day.

Marinette pulled him tighter and rubbed his back in calming circles. By the time he had calmed down, Marinette’s internal clock told her that it was time to get up. She lightly laid him to the ground, before pulling away and changing. Tikki and Plagg flew up to her, giving her questioning looks. She ignored them, transforming as quietly as she could before slipping out the door, Plagg sitting on her shoulder.

Ladybug was the first into the gymnasium, but her yo-yo told her the rest of her classmates would be there soon. She placed the bag down lightly, letting Plagg rest on it and much on the last few crumbs of a cookie.

Her yo-yo swung around once, twice, three times before latching onto the remaining bars from the ceiling and pulling herself up. She swung around, twirling and looping through the air, her body contorting in unnatural ways as her hair blinded her momentarily. Her face cooled in the chilled wind. Her fingers grew numb with the string’s taut force, the tips turning red with blood. Her foot clipped a bit of wall, and her swing wavered. The adrenaline caused her body to jerk, and her yo-yo fell away, leaving her to gravity and gravity alone. She attempted to stop her fall, but her aim was off and she hit the ground hard, forgetting to roll. Her body careened to the side, and a thump sounded as her back hit the wall. She lay down for a minute, breathing hard as she tried to stay awake, her eyesight wavering. A black speck wizzed before her eyes, and later she would learn that it was Plagg, calling for help from the figure in the doorway.

* * *

A minute later, Alya’s worried face came into view. Plagg and Trixx were sitting on her shoulders, and Marinette immediately became concerned. If Plagg and Trixx were sitting down, not causing trouble, then something awful must’ve happened.

Marinette sat up quickly, ignoring the pounding in her skull, and Alya’s worried face became increasingly more concerned.

“Ladybug, you shouldn’t-”

Right. She was still Ladybug, and she had collapsed like an idiot. Apparently in front of Alya.

“Hey, I’m okay.” Ladybug reassured Alya. Alya’s face contorted into something that showed she didn’t believe her.

“I can get the first aid kit,” Alya suggested.

“No, really. The suit keeps me from getting too injured. It sorta mixed with some exhaustion from loss of sleep.”

“Is that why Chat Noir isn’t here yet?” Alya asked.

“If everything happens like it did last time,” Ladybug started, standing and dusting herself off, “He wont show up at all. Hey, everyone,” She greeted the class as they started filing through the doors. They sat on the benches as Ladybug grabbed the bad and dragged it over.

“Where’s Chat Noir?” Sabrina asked shyly.

“He won’t be joining us today, and if he does, every current Miraculous holder is helping me drag him back to the room he crawled out of.”

Ladybug shuffled around in the bag and pulled out another box. A black and white creature appeared, gently clutching two large, black, horn-shaped earrings. Two large cone-shaped horns sat on her white head, and a black spot rimmed her eye. Large floppy ears weighed down on her head, low set and each ear the size of her tiny body. A fluffy white tail sat on her rear, and black limbs clutched the Miraculous.

“Hello, young humans. My name is Cappro, the Goat Kwami. I have served countless heros in the past, and hopefully will aid one of you in battle as well. I need all the quiet people, travellers, artists, and unorganized minds in the classroom to step forwards. Those are the types of people I work best with.”

Kim, Nathaniel, Juleka, Luka, and Mylene stepped forwards.

She carefully looked around, before flying towards Kim. He chuckled nervously. She danced around him, before moving on. He slumped and sat back down.

Luka watched her curiously as she looked him up and down, even checking behind his ears. She flew onto his sister, who shared a confused glance with him. Juleka was overlooked as well.

Mylene seemed to prove interesting, as Cappro spent a long time examining her. But eventually she moved onto Nathaniel.

Nathaniel ducked. She approached slower, curiosity shining in her dark eyes..

“Hello, young man. My name is Cappro. You’re an artist, correct?” Nathaniel nodded slowly. “Artists are the perfect holders for my Miraculous. Are you willing to be my charge for this fight? We are trying to save two of our friends. They were taken by some difficult people. You can help us get them back.”  
Nathaniel nodded again, and Cappro placed herself onto his shoulder.

“My power is strength, but only in short bursts. You will be able to break down any barrier that comes in your way, and, like a cat, will have perfect balance. Unlike a cat, you will almost never fall. You can leap from small ledge to small ledge without fear of taking a tumble. Your eyesight will advance, and have a special ability to map out any path anywhere. Up a mountain, to the top branch of a tree, down a rushing river full of rapids, down a cliff, or through a street full of rubble. All you need to do is follow through with the plan. To activate this Miraculous, you must say my name, followed by the command, “Ram.” Once you repeat these words, you will transform. Any questions?”

“What will my costume look like?”

“The costume will look modern, but still reflect my appearance in it’s own way.”

“How can I wear the earrings?”

“Hmm, no piercings? Don’t worry, dear. This will only hurt for a second.” Truffles and Taurrin left their charges and flew over. Cappro took an earring with Truffles, and Taurrin grabbed the other. They lined them up with his ear lobes, and after the count of three, his ears were pierced. He winced and he claimed his eyes were tearing because of the stinging, not the pain.

“I hope those have been cleaned before he used them,” Mylene murmured.

“Yes, that doesn’t appear to be very hygienic.” Max stated, adjusting his glasses. Nathaniel shook off the pain.

“Okay. Uhh,’ He glanced at Ladybug, who nodded encouragingly. Ladybug didn’t miss Cappro’s eyes narrowing slightly at her appearance. She glanced at Plagg, who didn’t acknowledge her.

Trixx peaked out again, seeing this pickle. Luckily, Nathaniel gained his courage and called out,  “Cappro, Ram.”

Within seconds, he was wearing a white suit with black limbs and a black stomach. Two curled horns rested on his hair, and one eye on his mask was ringed with black. Two low set ears hung over his real ones. A short tail protruded from his rear. His hair was pushed back so he could see with both turquoise eyes.

“Oh, wow.” He muttered, eyes sparkling with excitement. He jogged around a bit, before ramming a block of concrete to shards of rock. He blinked, and started leaping up the complicated pile of rubble. The class gazed in wonder as he flipped and dodged tumbling pieces that fell past his body. He stood on the top triumphantly. Rose and Ivan transformed, attempting to follow him up but had almost no luck.

Ladybug swung her yo-yo and landed next to Nathaniel. He grinned shyly as she smiled at him.

“Welcome to the team, Nathaniel.”

* * *

Marinette detransformed and sat next to Adrien, who was snoring away. Her hand smoothed his hair, stroking his scalp soothingly, His breath hitched, and his green eyes flew open instinctively. He sat up, and Marinette barely dodged his forehead as he looked around wildly. He glanced at her, and she started choking.

His eyes weren’t green. They were a deep blue. Like his father’s.

“M-M-Marinette…” He started, his voice trembling as his eyes welled up with tears. Her breath hitched, and she grasped his shaking hand. “I can’t see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who hurt the baby?


	5. Blind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A secret never to be told.

The sky rumbled, reflecting the mood of the two partners as Marinette cautiously waved her hand before his eyes. He didn’t respond. 

“Can you see anything?” She tried. 

“Darkness. And… every once and a while a flash of white. It looks like the Patrols going by.”

Marinette’s hand dropped uselessly to the ground. “Your eyes changed color.”

“ _ What _ ?”

“They’re a dark purpley-grey. Almost blue. I don’t really have a color to describe it.”

“Purple-grey? That’s so…” His voice trailed off and a strangled choke came out of his throat. 

“What? What is it?” Marinette asked frantically. His eyes shut immediately, and his jaw clenched as his eyelids shut a fraction more. 

“She’s here. In front of me. Peacock Nuit.”

“What?”

“She hasn’t looked at me yet, but she’s explaining something. I can’t hear her, but-oh  _ god _ she looked at me.”

“What’s she doing?”

“She sorta leaned back in shock, but now she’s nodding in understanding and writing something down. My head just nodded by itself.” His voice broke in shock. 

“Adrien?”

“I think I’m looking through Hawkmoth’s eyes, Marinette.”

“That’s impossible,” Marinette’s voice sounded higher than normal. 

“It is, Marinette. And he’s looking through mine.”

Adrien couldn’t quite contemplate what he was seeing. Peacock Nuit had a sharp jaw, with black sclera and blue irises. Her dress was blue. She was startling to look at, but what was more startling was how familiar she looked. As if he knew her out of the suit. He dropped the idea and tried to read her lips. 

“I...going...connection...dizzy...tomorrow...again.”

It wasn’t enough information, but Adrien refused to open his eyes. If Hawkmoth could see through his eyes, he would see Marinette. He would learn Ladybug’s identity, if he hadn’t already. He couldn’t lose her. 

He squeezed his eyes shut even more, trying to focus on anything. He heard small muttering in the corner, which he assumed was Tikki and Plagg we’re discussing the situation at hand. Hopefully they knew how to fix it. 

Marinette’s breathing was frantic as she attempted to figure out how this was happening. He gripped her hand tightly after patting the ground to find it. 

The room smelled dusty and cold, if you could say cold had a smell. The air tasted metallic, and, well, cold.

Marinette’s thumb was rubbing gentle circles on the back of his hand, and it was a distraction amongst his focus. Reluctantly, he pulled away.

Chatter from outside the door made Adrien assume he was listening to the rest of his class heading out to the gymnasium. He didn’t like that Marinette had left him to sleep in, but it was too late to dwell on that. He just needed to solve this issue before they started to look for them.

He attempted to mentally break the connection they shared. Nothing seemed to happen. He shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel Hawkmoth from his mind. 

Nothing happened.

Mentally chanting ‘Get out get out get out,” had no effect, either. He was starting to give up. Just when he was reaching for the nearest fabric, something to make a blindfold out of so he could open his eyes and rest them, something changed.

Peacock Nuit was back. She said something to Hawkmoth, who nodded. She started chanting, and Adrien’s focus on his surroundings became blurry inside his head. Sounds became distant memories, and the feeling of cold dissipated. Hawkmoth’s vision went out of focus. 

Hawkmoth blinked again, and Adrien’s sight went dark. He turned towards where he assumed the wall was, and cracked his eyes open. 

He was greeted with the glorious sight of a dirty, but light colored wall. 

His eyes shot open and he looked around. Marinette’s worried face came into view and he lurched forwards, grabbing her face and slamming his lips onto hers. 

She squealed in surprise, but his lips devoured the sound as he moved with vigor, his lips caressing hers with motions that spun her head in circles. The short-term, pent up worry that had accumulated inside both of them was released like a wildfire. They moved frantically against each other, lips, mouths, bodies, minds never getting enough.

A loud sound outside broke them apart, and Marinette immediately grabbed his face, prying his eyes open and staring into them nervously. 

She saw green. 

She collapsed into his chest, breathing heavily against his shirt as he pulled her tighter, tighter, tighter into his body. His chin rested on top of her dark hair.

She pulled away too early, and slapped his face hard.

“Ow! What was that for?”   


“Don’t kiss me! You’re just gonna make things complicated!” She screeched.

“Oh, yeah, as if things could get anymore complicated between us! Ow!”

“Dammit, Chat, this is your fault!”

“I personally would blame Hawkmoth as it’s his fault that happened!  _ Stop hitting me! _ ”

* * *

 

By the time they had calmed down, they were sitting back to back. Marinette was hugging her knees to her chest, and Adrien’s were splayed out in front of him. 

“Tikki?” Marinette’s voice was small. “What happened?”

The red bug flew over and landed on Marinette’s knee. Plagg followed, albeit reluctantly, and landed on her other knee.

“Hawkmoth combined his power of Direct Communication with Peacock Nuit’s power of mind control. They were able to land a butterfly on Adrien when he wasn’t paying attention. When activated, the butterfly will allow Hawkmoth and Adrien to switch sight.”

“Butterfly? Then can’t we destroy whatever object it landed in? Like an Akuma?” Marinette asked, feeling Adrien stiffen behind her.

“Unfortunately, no.” Adrien slumped against her back. “This butterfly has to land on your head to work correctly. It’s now connected with your mind. We can’t stop it unless we destroy the charm, and Peacock Nuit has to do that herself, being the creator.”

“So using Cataclysm on my head is no longer an option, then? Even if I focused the ability to only destroy the butterfly?”

“Since it’s already connected, it would be futile. Even if you did destroy the butterfly, the spell would remain, though it would be weakened.” 

“What can we do?” Marinette asked. Tikki went silent.

“Blindfold him until it’s no longer necessary,” Plagg suggested. Adrien’s breathing slowed, and Marinette stared at him.

“You’re kidding.”

“Unfortunately, no. Not only can this not be stopped, but it will be completely unpredictable. We don’t know when Hawkmoth will activate this, or when he’ll send you those awful dreams now that he has this spell on you. This is our safest bet, unless you want to risk everything just so you can see,” Plagg tugged on his whiskers as Adrien slumped farther against Marinette, who stared at the fabric next to them. Adrien was quiet for a minute.

“Marinette?”

“Yes?” She asked, turning to look at her partner. He unburied his face from his hands and gazed at her like it would be the last time he was ever going to see her. His eyes drunk in every detail he could, sweeping over her eyelashes and ears and unruly tufts of hair and shoulders and chest and stomach, looking down her legs and knees to her feet and back up with one detailed, longing gaze. Marinette’s face flushed furiously as his eyes lingered on certain details or body parts. 

“Make me a blindfold. I guess I’m going blind.”

* * *

 

Adrien was pissed after Marinette had told him-whilst making the blindfold-that she let him sleep through the entire day. He had missed Kwami, hero, and selection. He grumpily sat in the corner, pretending not to watch Marinette as she worked. 

But how could he not? Even after a sweaty day of training new heroes, her body looked great, her hair was perfectly styled, and her face glowed like the moon. Adrien couldn’t take his eyes off her, knowing that it would be the last time he looked at her for a while.

She presented the black blindfold that fit his head with perfect measurements, resting atop his ears lightly enough that he didn’t notice when distracted.

Marinette was asleep under the blanket, but Adrien had slept for almost twenty-four hours straight, so he was still wide awake.

He transformed as quietly as possible, slipped his blindfold on, and escaped to the gymnasium. He listened for sound bouncing off objects near him to know what to avoid, smelled the scent of dust and rubble and dodged the chunks of limestone he could’ve tripped on. The taste of metal hung in the air, and he ducked past a hanging pipe, dripping water slowly.

He walked through an open door, and a blast of cool air hit him. He sniffed the air, and could smell the faint scent of sweat, lingering from the time students exercised regularly in this room. 

He extended his staff, patting the ground around him, testing to see if there we any large chunks of rubble around him. 

After he felt empty space, he shortened the staff, spinning around him, feeling the air  _ whoosh _ around it artfully. He jabbed through the air, testing the weight and attempting to guess the angle, direction and length he reached. Without his eyes, he was weak. He couldn’t afford to let his partner down. 

He spun and jabbed again, reaching out as far as he could. A small weight lightly pressed down on the end of his staff. 

He reacted immediately. It felt like a finger, so he swung the staff around his head and cracked it down to slightly behind where the finger was placed. He heard a yelp as he hit empty air. 

He swung around again, listening for movement. A whoosh of air passed his ear, and he reached out, attempting to push whatever it was. A shuffle from behind his head, and he whirled around, grabbing for the sound.  He took a step back, and a bright shine of light penetrated the black blindfold, barely reaching his eyes. A gasp, and he lunged forwards. 

“Wait! Chat Noir, hold up man!”

Chat paused, cocking his ear to the sound. “ _ Nino _ ?”

“Carapace, actually.”

“What was that whooshing sound I kept hearing?”

“Me,” The small voice said, “your favorite Fox God.”

“Trixx.” Chat Noir didn’t sound very excited. “Where’s Alya?”

“Sleeping,” Nino said, a scratching sound reaching Chat’s ears. “She had a hard time last night. Kept remembering her sisters, and… she’s sleeping now.”

“My charge needs to recharge,” Trixx giggles slightly. “But you seem to be at 100%, Mr. Black Cat. What are you doing out here, with a blindfold no less?”

“That’s a long story. Besides, I slept all day. I need to move around, do something. And since the blindfold is gonna become a temporary disability, I might as well learn how to work with it.”

“That sounds like a pretty shitty deal. Anything you can do about it?”   


Chat Noir sighed. “No.”

“Damn…” Both eighteen year olds lapsed into a silence.

“Do you wanna train? Together? I mean, I heard noises and came out to investigate, but if you’re here and need to train, I guess I could use the practice,” Nino said.

“Sure thing. Might as well get ready for tomorrow, right?” Chat cracked his neck and spun his staff. A shuffling sound made Adrien suspect that Nino unhooked his shield.

Without warning, Chat lunged forwards, hearing a clang against the metal hull Nino had ducked behind. A flash of light cued Chat in as he passed through the stream of moonlight. The sound of air rushing past an object as it whirred towards him made Chat duck, feeling the metal edges of the shield slice past his hair. Chat rotated on his heel, leaping through the air towards Carapace as his staff crashed into the shield that had returned to his hands.

Chat pressed both feet into the shield and launched himself away from Carapace, extending his staff to stop his fall into the rubble. Carapace charged, proving that activating his Miraculous made Nino much braver.

As they slowed down, breathing heavily and resting on each other’s shoulders, Chat chuckled.

“Hey Nino?”

“What’s up, Chat?”

“I wish I could tell you my identity…”

“I know dude… I… I think I already have an idea, anyways. No need for it.”   


“Thanks, man.”   


“No problem, dude.”

* * *

 

In the morning, Ladybug had walked into the gymnasium to see two of her favorite boys asleep against a large block of rubble. Chat’s blindfold covered his eyes, but looking at his steady breathing and the way he collapsed against Carapace, Ladybug suspected they had worn themselves out last night doing who knows what. 

She crouched in front of them, lightly tapping their noses to alert them. Both young men started, grabbing their weapons and placing them harshly against Ladybug’s neck.

“Whoa!” Carapace yelped, freezing as they made eye contact. Chat sniffed the air before recoiling immediately, pulling Carapace’s arms back firmly and dipping his head with a smile.

“Sorry about that, M’lady. Didn’t mean to attack you like that. Sleep well?”

She rolled her eyes fondly and hoisted both men to their feet, turning as the classmates trickled in.

“Whoa, Carapace!”

“Nino, you look super cool!”

“Why are you transformed, did something happen?” Alya asked worriedly, placing a light hand on her boyfriend’s arm. He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck.

“No, just a misunderstanding. Chat and I trained for a bit last night, that’s all,”   
“Yeah. It felt good to stretch my limbs for a bit,” 

“Chat Noir?” Someone asked. His head swiveled to the direction the voice came from. 

“What’s up, Luka?” Chat asked. Ladybug cringed a bit. Ever since the incident where Marinette sorta liked Luka, Adrien’s always had a small grudge against the poor man. Luckily, it didn’t last long and Marinette no longer had any feelings for the punk sibling of Juleka. Though he was still cute and growing into a handsome man, Marinette had her own cat to take care of.

“What’s up with the blindfold?” Luka asked, drawing the attention of the classmates.

Ladybug glanced around, seeing most of the classmate’s attention focused on Chat. 

“The blindfold will just be a temporary disability. We don’t need to focus on that. What we should focus on is getting these Kwamis paired up with you guys.” Chat reached behind Ladybug, startling her as he grazed her back. She flushed red under her mask as an unwelcome smirk graced his lips. He handed it to Ladybug, who took it whilst avoiding his hands. The class headed to the cleared section of the bleachers, where they took their seats and gazed down for the choosing. 

Ladybug nearly dropped the bag as Chat  went to dig through it, causing a chuckle to erupt from his chest. Ladybug’s eyes softened at the sound, and it didn’t go unnoticed by anyone in the class.

A small grey kwami with a long tail and pink-filled, large ears appeared next. His bucked teeth glimmered as he glanced around. Two long whiskers came from his cheeks, so thin they disappeared in the electric lighting. Long, almond-shaped eyes almost hid pink irises from their view. A shriek sounded. The class broke its focus to turn to Chloe, who had stuck her nose into the air.

The Kwami narrowed his eyes. “I am Scuur, the Rat Kwami.” Lila made a gagging sound, and Ladybug silently wished that Lila would be chosen for the Rat, however mean it would be to Scuur. The Kwami continued. “I need someone who is clever and quick-witted, and unafraid of defending the people in their pack.” He flew around the room, coming to a halt at Max. He stared at Max, who nervously looked away and fidgeted with his glasses. Scuur squinted and moved on, stopping at Sabrina. He stared at her. She didn’t look at him at all, as Chloe was next to her and clearly disgusted by this Kwami. Scuur floated down, landing next to her. Sabrina quickly glanced at him before looking away. Scuur hummed.

“Okay, Sabrina. What do we say you temporarily hold my miraculous? How does that sound?”   


“Ummmm…” She glanced at Chloe, who didn’t look at her. Scuur raised an eyebrow and flew into her line of sight.

“Sabrina, remember. I’m not asking Chloe. I’m asking you. You do not need her permission. You can choose this on your own.”

Pollen nodded encouragingly, sticking her head out from Chloe’s jacket. “Scuur is correct, Sabrina. You need to learn how to be independent. Looking for Chloe’s opinion and permission constantly will just hold you back.”

“Hey!” Chloe snapped, attempting to stand. Pollen somehow shoved her back into her seat, engaging in a staring contest with her.

Sabrina was quiet for a moment. Ladybug could picture her imagining her father, taken by the Patrol, under Peacock Nuit’s power. She knew she cared deeply for her father, and would do almost anything for him. Did this choice fit into that almost anything?

Sabrina drew in a sharp breath, before pulling herself up and nodding, certain with her choice. “Okay. I’ll do it.”  _ For my dad. _

“Wonderful.” Scuur flew out to where Ladybug and Chat Noir were standing, heading for the Miraculous. He stopped and stared.

Not again, Trixx thought, peeking out from her tired Charge’s pocket, tilting her head in curiosity.

“Wayzz, what’s he doing?” Nino muttered.

Wayzz glanced desperately at Trixx, who shooed him away, staring intently down at the minor Kwami who still hadn’t moved. 

He finally raised a shaky hand and pointed to Chat Noir. He blurted out, “What color are your eyes?”

Trixx was watching a car crash in slow motion. Horrific, but you can’t take your eyes away.

“Mine?” Chat Noir asked, raising an eyebrow. Ladybug copied him.

“His eyes are green? Why?” Ladybug asked, tilting her head.

Trixx couldn’t just sit around. She concentrated her energy, before sending a flare out. The floor shook slightly, the blocks of rubble that had collapsed from the walls and ceiling rumbled, and every student was on high alert. Every Kwami turned to Trixx, who had flown out during the chaos, part of her power, and tackled Scuur to the ground, growling angrily at her prey.

“Don't say anything dumb you'll ruin everything!” Trixx flew back immediately, leaving Scuur to float through the air in understanding, almost completely unfazed by Trixx’s hostile attitude. She buried herself back into Alya’s pocket and stopped the five second earthquake she created. Ladybug and Chat Noir checked to make sure everyone was okay, before turning back to Scuur.

Scuur had apparently dropped the subject of Chat’s eyes, because he grabbed the Miraculous and turned back to Sabrina, who shakily made her way down the stairs.

Sabrina called out a nervous, “Scuur, Run!” after he explained everything. She was covered in a grey fabric, with a thin tail and large, pink filled ears resting on her head. Her mask was grey, and her eyes had turned a pink shade in the irises.

She had the powers of smell, hearing, a strong bite, and apparently was the lightest of all of the minor Kwami’s, being the smallest animal. 

“Taurrin, Charge!”

“Truffles, Sniff!”   


“Cappro, Ram!”

Once all four heroes had transformed, they started training. Sabrina was still shy, but had a nice set of teeth that Ivan claimed “hurt like a bitch.” Somehow, Ladybug hoped, that would be helpful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sabrina deserves love.


	6. Sacrifices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Choices have to be made.

The darkness was irritating Adrien.

Since he harnessed the powers of the Black Cat, his ability to blend in with his dark surroundings relied almost solely on his sense of sight. It’s what made him such a good spy, hunter, warrior, guardian of the Ladybug. 

Without that ability, he was basically just a normal fighter.

How could he protect his Lady with normal abilities?

He clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palm. It had been a very long time since he actually had uneven nails or dirty palms. He embraced the dry feeling of dirt embedded in his pores, the dirt he dug into his hand under and on his suit. 

A waft of salty crackers caught his nose and he was brought back to the makeshift cafeteria.

Sounds of munching and chatter between classmates reached his ears again. The occasional laughter helped change the mood of the room.

After they gifted Sabrina with Scuur, the Rat Kwami, Max had raised a trembling hand towards the cracked window, where through the drawn drapes a cluster of white fluttering beings gathered.

The class had leapt under the bleachers, the new heroes standing before the bleachers, crouching in a battle position like they practiced. 

Chat immediately lunged for his partner, dragging her to the ground as she struggled to escape him.

“Chat! Let me go I can help!”

‘Ladybug, don’t! You know they’ll just take you! You can’t sacrifice everything for this one person!”

“I can and I will, dammit! I can save him! Chat, get off me!”

“Guys, help me!” Chat called, struggling to pin her down with a blindfold. It was much easier when they were out of costume, but when in costume, they were equally strong and agile. Everything was working against him.

Thumping steps shook the ground as the four new heroes ran forwards, getting ready for their hardest test of worth. Restraining their Leader, someone who was much more powerful than them combined. Ivan lead the charge.

Chat’s confidence increased a thousand fold when he heard three familiar activations.

“Trixx, let’s pounce!”

“Wayzz, head out!”

“Pollen, sting ‘em!”

The struggling Chat felt from Ladybug halted almost completely as each of her limbs were all grabbed and pulled taut.

* * *

 

Marinette remembered feeling every limb pulled tightly away from her body. She cried out, trying to pull them away from her classmates. She needed to get away, to escape. She needed to help that person. Their life, their freedom, their mind: it all relied on her.

With a yell of rage, she tensed all her muscles in her limbs, feeling their grips loosen, before yanking all her limbs loose as she bent her joints. As the heroes collapsed on top of each other, she swung her yo-yo forwards. Her taut legs launched her under Ivan’s legs, then tripping Sabrina, swinging past Nathaniel’s horns as she pulled his head to the ground by his nearest curled horn. Rose stumbled past the red-clad figure.

Three figures, one orange, one yellow, and one green, blocked her path out the window.

“Move,” Ladybug demanded. “I don’t want to make you by force.”

“Make us,” Queen Bee laughed. “Like you’d even have a chance to-!” Her sentence ended with a muffled surprise as Ladybug leapt over her head, using her shoulders as a launching platform. Queen Bee collapsed to the ground as Ladybug flattened herself in the air, barely dodging Carapace’s shield as it sliced the air above her nose. Rena Rouge’s flute passed under her body as Ladybug threw her yo-yo to the window pane. 

A pole appeared and knocked her yo-yo out of the air. The Butterflies disappeared in a flash of white, and Ladybug hit the wall in shock, falling into a roll.

How could her guard have fallen enough for her to forget about Chat Noir? 

Her defeated face looked up slowly to see the cause of the shadow cast over her form.

Chat Noir’s hardened face looked down at her. His eyes were still covered, but she could imagine the sparks that flew from his seething eyes.

“Back to the room, please. Now.”

It was the first time Marinette had ever seen a resemblance between his father and him. She didn’t like it then, and still didn’t like it now.

* * *

 

Chat Noir had dismissed the rest of his class, escorting Ladybug back to the room with his jaw set harshly. His blood was pounding in his ears, and quiet muttering around him was the only thing piercing past the thumping.

Marinette hadn’t said a word since the fight, and even after detransforming she remained silent.

The door closed silently. Marinette flinched.

He turned his covered eyes towards her, feeling his claws dig into his clenched palm. It was a disconcerting feeling that settled on her shoulders as his glare stayed fixed upon her.

“Why,” He finally started, both fists clenched tightly under his squared shoulders, “would you ever think that putting our classmates in danger would be the right idea?”

Marinette paled, her mouth falling open.  _ Putting her classmates in danger? _

“Oh, did that  _ not _ occur to you? It  _ never _ crossed your one-track mind that, even if you did rescue that woman and destroyed the Patrol, Hawkmoth would’ve been alerted that,  _ ‘hey, one of my patrol never came back. Oh, they disappeared near the school? Better take all the survivors out just to make sure none of them are my arch enemies!’ _ Or maybe you just rescue the woman, not taking care of the Patrol? ‘ _ Wow, looks like Ladybug’s hanging out in the school! Better kill everyone in there cause they’re all associated with her!. Oh, both Miraculous I’ve been attempting to steal for four effing years! Thank you very much!’ _

“Or, maybe you don’t get either the woman or the Patrol? Well, now Hawmoth has another civilian for his army, that he sends to the exact location his report says has sixteen students, and wow,  _ sixteen _ miraculous as a bonus! That’s exactly what he asked for for Christmas! Seems like Santa  _ effing _ pulled through.” He turned to face the wall, the bitter sarcasm spilling from his mouth hitting her straight in her heart.  _ Why had these things never occurred to her? _

“And it’s not like I haven’t explained to you before that, these people, they’re getting food, sleep, water, warmth! They’re being well taken care of, better that they would be in this sad, hellish excuse for a city. And once we take out Hawkmoth and Peacock Nuit, they’re all gonna be released from the mind control, Hell, they probably won’t remember  _ any _ of that shit, Marinette. There gonna be in much better shape than we are in the end. 

“So stop sacrificing everything for someone who isn’t important to our cause! This has gone too far. You embarrassed yourself in front of all our classmates, scared the hell out of them, and almost got them all killed. You need to start thinking of others, or this dumbass plan will never work.” He reached for the door handle, pausing for a couple breaths. He heard her shallow breathing behind him, and hated every word he said, knowing how true it all was but hating making her hear it. He sucked in a breath, releasing it roughly. It sounded like sandpaper on wood.

“I’ve made my sacrifices for this plan. It’s time you make them, too.”

He opened the door and left his partner alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Even after apologizing later for his harsh words, he could feel her tenseness around him and their classmates. They laughed and joked, conversed with each other and the Kwamis, but many of the students hadn’t said anything to Ladybug yet.

“Hey, Ladybug?” Someone called from down the table. He had spoken too soon.

She looked up to see Alix standing on the table, glaring down at Lila. Mylene was the one who called, nervously tugging on Alix’s shorts.

Chat Noir and Ladybug stood up immediately, weapons ready. Alix was clearly irritated when she asked, “Why is this Italian bitch still here, Ladybug? She can’t possibly be of any use to us.”

“How dare you!” Lila stood up, glaring haughtily at Alix. 

“Guys!” Chat Noir said, stepping forwards. “We’re all here as friends. We shouldn't;t be having fights. You guys are classmates, right? If you don’t fight in class, there's no reason to fight here.”

“Oh there’s a reason all right! This asshat was going to steal Trixx and the fox miraculous!”

The class gasped. Alya took a step backwards, fingering her necklace delicately. Chat Noir clenched his jaw mostly in anger, but also because  _ now isn’t the right time to be laughing at the phrase ‘asshat’ _ .

“I was not!” Lila lied.

“You just said you were going to, brat!” Alix cried.

“Alix Kubdel is correct,” Wayzz flew out from Nino’s shirt, landing on the brunet’s dirty cap. “The presence around Lila Rossi as the present moment is negative. Her intentions are harmful to the cause.”

“I’d like to see her try to take Trixx from me!” Ayla called, punching her palm.

“She wouldn’t get even close to you. No miraculous, no help from anyone.” Nino listed off. 

“We’d take her out before she could scream!” Chloe called.

“Everyone, stop!” Ladybug yelled. The chattering quieted down, and Alix’s grip on Lila’s shirt loosened a bit. Marinette made sure she had everyone’s attention before continuing.

“All of you are important to the plan. Like it or not, everyone here needs a Kwami if we are going to be able to take out Hawkmoth and Peacock Nuit. We are a team. You’re all a part of something bigger than any of us. We all know someone who has been taken by the Patrols, we all know someone who was injured by a falling building or an Akuma attack. And at the moment, we are the only ones who can save them. We are the only people who have the power to save them, the ability to take back what is rightfully ours, to reclaim our friends, our family, our home.

“That being said, it is not helpful to anyone, includes yourself, to take someone's abilities away for your use. No one will think your a better hero. No one will sing your praises. They will hate you for betraying the city. Because an attack on one of our own, it an attack on our future. Chat Noir and I will come for you. We will bring whatever forces necessary to take you out. And then we will take out Hawkmoth without your help.”

Ladybug’s voice stopped suddenly, and her eyes narrowed, wondering if this new idea was a good move.

She decided it was.

“I have decided that we will be doing two Kwamis a day. Every day we spend in this building is a day wasted. The sooner we beat Hawkmoth and Peacock Nuit, the safer the city will be. Starting tomorrow, we will remove two boxes. Now, get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drraaaaaammmaaaaaa~


	7. Quick Like a Bunny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is movement in the darkness.

A shuffling, a creaking, and a blast of light revealed a small brown and white creature with large, round, black eyes. The Kwami opened her mouth to greet the human who opened the box, but it was so dark, she couldn’t see who it was. A figure moved in the shadows, and her animal instincts kicked in. She growled and spun in a circle, tracking the shadow with her eyes. A hand grabbed her from behind, squeezing her painfully. She let out a whine. 

“Quiet, you.” A voice growled from behind her. The Kwami wriggled around to face the human who captured her. She growled back, biting the top finger. The human yelped and let her go. 

“Who dares to attack me?” She snarled, backing away from the person in the shadows. Her snarl turned into a growl as she hunched her back, tail going between her legs and her ears flopping back. Her canines gleamed in the moonlight. The human took a step forwards into the moonlight. It was a girl. 

“I am your new master. I command you to be quiet.” The girl stated, almond shaped olive eyes glaring down at the Kwami. She snorted. 

“Your not my master. And a dog only listens to her master. Who are you, filthy peasant?”

“Peasant?” The girl exclaimed in outrage. “I’ll have you know my father is an ambassador to the country of Italy, and you should be bowing at my feet! I am much more powerful than you! Hence why I am your master!” The girl reached out for the Kwami again, missing as she floated higher. 

“Italy, hmm? Well, last time I was out it was called the Roman Empire. I suppose when one partakes in the murder of Julius Caesar and rise of Emperor Nero that they deserve a little time off, don’t you think?” 

The girl’s face faltered, and she struggled to reply with something witty. 

“Y-you didn’t actually… that’s impossible, that was… I refuse to believe those moments in history were your doing.” She decided finally. Her bottom lip trembled in doubt of her own words. 

“You better. As the dog Kwami, I am known to hold charges that are distrustful, yet honest. I lie, yet I create chaos with the truth. If you’re unafraid, you’re wrong. After Plagg and Trixx, I am the Kwami that causes the most chaos in the Minor Eleven. I am Canii, the dog Kwami. Now back off or I will make you, Lila Rossi.”

The girl stumbled back, surprise evident on her face, now buried in shadows. “How do you know my name?”

“I know everything you want to hide, little mutt.” Lila flinched at the insult. 

“How is that possible?” She demanded. Canii watched as Lila glanced at the box, the dog Miraculous still sitting gently inside. Lila subtly inched towards them, as if Canii wouldn’t notice. 

Canii smiled darkly, and if that was even possibly on her cute face, she made it work. She was entirely aware of the dark shadow in the room, though it hadn’t moved in a few minutes. “You shouldn’t have touched me.”

The doors to the gymnasium slammed shut, the BANG echoing off the walls and penetrating Lila’s ears harshly. She flinched, crouching down defensively and glancing around. “Who’s there?” She commanded, her voice mixing with the slamming sound and wavering in the air. 

The shadow darted past Lila, pushing her hair up in the wind. Lila spun around, looking for the source. Her eyes spun wildly, looking around for any sort of movement. Of course, she wouldn’t see the culprit. Her eyes were too weak, to fragile, too  _ human _ . Canii drifted over to the Miraculous box. She could feel Lila’s trust in herself vanishing, her trust that she could claim a Kwami for herself vanishing. She sat back down in the box, waiting for the twinkle she was familiar with. She saw a glint of an orange eye in the left corner of the room. She nodded once, and looked back up at Lila. 

“Dearest mutt, I hope you know that if I ever see you again, it won’t be a pretty reunion. So try not to cause too much trouble. The world depends on it, after all.”

Canii closed the box, and her physically form disappeared. The last thing she experienced was a scream from Lila, the sound of a strong wind, a smell of incense and tea, before feeling the box lifted into the air in a sharp, fast movement. Even with something he wasn’t used to, her savior was a quick thinker. 

Quick like a bunny. 

* * *

Adrien paced around the room, swatting away Marinette’s worried hands.

“What if he can feel things now? What if his powers have extended?” Adrien told her, irritated, reluctantly hitting her hand away from his shoulder for the third time. Marinette huffed.

“You can’t be serious. Do you feel anything that you shouldn’t be? Obviously you’re aware of my hands on you. Tikki said it had to be a mutual sharing of the senses, right? He can’t feel what you’re feeling right now, only sight. That’s what the blindfold is for.”

Adrien unconsciously checked the back of the blindfold, his fingers testing the knot. Marinette’s slender fingers lightly closed down on his shoulder, before clamping down like a shark’s mouth on a surfboard.

“Ow! What the hell, Mari?” He yelled, squirming away from her vice-like grip. She frowned. 

“Just as I thought. You’re sore. What did you do?”

Adrien opened his mouth to complain, but voices from behind their boarded up door silenced him. 

Both partners froze when they heard Alya’s frantic voice demanding, “No, Nino! He said ‘Mari’ I’m sure of it!”

BANG BANG BANG BANG.

“Tikki, Spots on.” Marinette shivered, Chat Noir appearing next to Ladybug. Ladybug took a step back bracingly, hearing Alya call up her transformation as well, Nino following behind, albeit reluctantly. Chat Noir braced himself, still trying to ignore the swarm of butterflies his vision was filled with. He hoped Hawkmoth was getting more pissed by the second with the vision of pitch black he was receiving.

* * *

Alya’s flute repeatedly slammed into the door, slowly inching it away from it’s frame. Nino didn’t know how to tell her what was happening. He had a large suspicion about Chat Noir being Adrien, but he basically revealed himself the night before. Nino had a feeling it was too hard to keep it from his best friend. 

And now, hearing Adrien’s voice angrily yell out Marinette’s nickname made it come full circle.

He felt sick. How could two of his best friends have been running around Paris dressed in masks that didn’t cover shit for  _ four years _ and Nino still didn’t realize until the Apocalypse had happened?

It's become somewhat of a nuisance on Nino’s behalf. He felt like a bad friend.

At least he didn’t feel like he had lost two of his friends.

Alya stuffed her flute away and started using her feet and hands. She pounded relentlessly on the door, trying to make her way into the room, to find some answers. Her best friend was missing, and she had no idea if she was okay, or even alive at this point.

But now she hears Chat Noir yell her nickname angrily?

While alone with Ladybug?

She needed her answers and she needed them now.

The door burst into bits as Rena Rouge leapt through the new opening, blinking the dust from her eyes. 

“Where is she?” She demanded, scanning the room desperately. Ladybug and Chat Noir stood defensively in the back of the room. Chat Noir’s expression looked irritated, just like his voice sounded. And Ladybug, she looked nervous, repeatedly glancing in between her partner and ally.

“Rena Rouge, what is the meaning of this?” She asked, clearing her throat. Chat straightened at the sound, unhooking his staff and twirling it defensively.

“Where is Marinette? I heard you say her name, Chat! Where is she? What have you done?” Ayla stamped her foot.

“What are you talking about? I never said her name. And last I heard she was captured along with her parents by the Patrol.”

“I heard you say ‘Mari’! Don’t lie to me!”

“Ayla, he’s not lying. If you heard him say Mari, its because it’s one of his dumb nicknames for Hawkmoth.” Both Carapace and Chat turned to her, raising a questioning eyebrow. Ladybug wasn’t sure if this would work, but she needed an excuse, no matter how far fetched it was.

“Your… nickname… for Hawkmoth.” Alya’s voice sounded disbelieving.

“Yeah. Like, the Spanish word for ‘Butterfly’ is Mariposa. Honestly, it’s easier to picture him as weak and easy to overcome when you give him a cutesy nickname, right Chat?”

“R-right. Why do you think I call Ladybug ‘Bugaboo’? She’s less intimidating that way.” His cheeky grin said that he would be winking if he could see. Ladybug rolled her eyes, hiding a smile.

Alya deflated, and every one of her muscles seemed to collapse in on themselves.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered. “I just… I hoped that… she’d be here. That she’d be safe. I’ve lost everyone and…” She straighten, slowly and painfully. Avoiding eye contact, she headed towards the door. Before she passed through it, Ladybug stopped her.

“Alya,” She called. Rena Rouge turned, and met Ladybug’s steely gaze. “There's a reason the door was boarded up.”

Alya slumped and left, dropping the transformation. Nino watched her go, dropping his transformation as well. He waited until she was out of earshot and whirled on both heroes. They jumped.

“That was too close!” He snapped.

Ladybug’s eyes widened while Chat’s ears sank further down on his head.

“W-what are you talking about?” Ladybug asked, feigning ignorance.

“Don’t fuck with me, Marinette. That was too close and you both know it. Adrien, try to keep your voice down if you’re gonna yell at her. And since when were both of you careless enough to use each other’s names out loud?” Nino shook his head in disappointment before turning on his heel and running after Alya.

* * *

 

They hadn’t learned anything important from Chat Noir’s newest eyesight exchange with Hawkmoth, other than he had a lot of butterflies and he occasionally would do his signature evil laugh. Chat almost thought he had a timer that went off at periodic intervals when he needed to laugh again. 

What a weirdo. 

Nino clearly had done everything he could to cheer Alya up, because the next morning they were joking around as if nothing had happened.

Chat Noir produced the bag from behind his back with a bow. He straightened and grinned, which Ladybug had to correct, as he was looking a little left of the students. They tittered as Ladybug rummaged around in the bag for the next box.

The box opened, and a brown being with a long nimble tail tumbled out. His ears were large, tan, and low set. His tummy and face were the same shade of tan. A smirk immediately enveloped his face as he glanced around the room. Chat’s stomach twisted in regret.  _ Why’d she have to pick this one? _

“Baana, the Monkey Kwami at your service. Hey, Tikki’s holder, how you doing?” He winked at Ladybug, who shot him a look. Chat Noir raised an eyebrow, and flipped off the Kwami. Trixx giggled, hiding in Alya's pocket. “Yeah yeah, whatever. Who’s cool enough to be my charge, huh? I grant the power to climb any surface at record times! C’mon, who’s willing?”

“I can run at record speeds, but that didn’t help when I was chased by a Butterfly Patrol,” Kim muttered darkly. Baana swooped over and landed on Kim’s shoulder.

“Hey man, sure you can run fast, but what about leaping over buildings? Those butterflies won’t know what hit them, right?” Kim’s face seemed to perk up at that thought.

“This one’s mine, guys!” Baana yelled out, eagerly chatting with Kim about record speeds.

“And thus, the irritating part about this plan starts,” Adrien muttered, causing Marinette to laugh. His lips twitched joyously as she coughed out the last bits of the laugh, turning back to the bag with a large smile across her lips. 

“S-should we let them bond and transform first or pick the next one first?” Ladybug whispered.

“Pick first. Let the new heroes transform together, I’d say.” Chat shrugged. 

A seafoam green rope appeared. A large frilled hood covered its head, making the creature seem larger and more intimidating. A slit tongue danced between its fangs. It’s yellow slit eyes studied the room. A large, empty black diamond covered its hood, the pattern repeating all the way to the end of its tail. The Kwami crossed its arms as it slithered through the air.

“You all were born in my year, weren’t you?” The snake hissed. “Hmmm. I am Adder, the Snake Kwami. I need a charge that won’t be afraid of the tricky line between good and evil,” Her sweeping eyes caught Juleka’s interested frame, along with Lila’s slit eyes. She flew and tapped both of their foreheads. 

“Come forwards. You will be tested.” Lila quietly stood, Juleka following her lead. 

Juleka and Lila stood in the center of the gymnasium.

“Trixx, are you there?” Adder hissed, glancing through the crowd. An orange blur zipped through the dusty air, coming up next to the snake.

Trixx grinned, her fangs gleaming in the dull light. Adder turned to the girls.

“I will have Trixx do a timing test. If you can catch the real me, you will be my holder.” Trixx waved her arm, and seven more Adders appeared in a puff of orange smoke. The class’s eyes widened, and Trixx flew to the lightswitch. She flicked it off.

Chat only saw the snippets of light peeking through the edges of the blindfold before everything went dark. He heard scuffling through the air, and felt around for something to brace himself. A hand found his and gripped it softly. It fit perfectly with his.

Chat heard Lila grunt, and a sound like a puff a smoke. A squeak of a sneaker, and a sigh as another Adder got away. The hand tensed against his as the sound of another girl missing Adder reached their ears. A breath of relief sounded when someone grabbed the smoke copy of Adder. Another puff. And another. The girls seemed to be getting the hang of catching the snake.

Trixx giggled, gliding through the air and coming up next to Adder.

“You haven’t said anything yet.”   
“About them?” Adder’s forked tongue pointed in the direction of Ladybug and Chat Noir. “What’s there to say? It’s a spitting image. But I won’t meddle. That’s tricky business,” Adder shrugged.

“Scuur almost lost it.”

“Did he now?”

“He did. ‘Little Chaos Magic shut him up, though.”   
“Mmm. Who’d he pick?”

“The ginger girl. I love her orange coloring. She’d be a healthy fox.”

“And the others?”

“So far, Taurrin picked the bulky man with the scowl,”

“Terrifying,” Adder chuckled.

“And Truffles is with the petite blonde with the pixie cut,”

“A perfect fit, from the looks of it,” Adder’s tongue flickered. “She smells like flowers.”

“Cappro paired with the other ginger. He’d be a tricky fox, that’s for sure.”

“An even trickier snake. Cappro chose well.”

“Baana chose that cocky-looking boy with the awful hair,” Trixx giggled.

“Oh dear… It almost looks like a crest. Daawn would approve.”

“Oh, I can see him fawning over it now.”   
“And the other three?” Adder asked slickly.

“I chose the redhead with the glasses. Wayzz is with the boy in the red cap, and Pollen is paired with that pompous blonde.”

“Bad choice in my opinion,” Adder shook her head.

“I agree.”

They lapsed into a silence and Trixx wondered if Adder would actually ask the question they were both thinking.

“And those two?”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She’s a smart girl, who thinks creatively and has a sharp mind. She has no problem with speaking in front of crowds or leading. Her head is screwed on pretty straight. And then Adrien Agreste. He’s spent his entire life sacrificing his happiness for the sake of others, and he now sacrifices his life as well, all to protect his partner. Perfect Black Cat in my opinion.”

“Sounds interesting…” Adder’s voice trailed off as she turned to the Fox. “Now what are you hiding?”

“Hiding…?” Trixx mused. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”

“Something happened,” Adder’s tongue flickered in the air. “Recently.”

“Mmm… Yes, I believe something did occur. Around one in the morning I was alerted to the release of Canii.”   
“Canii? Why would someone release her so early?”   
“Well, there’s the tricky part. There are plenty of candidates as to who the culprit could be, but the question is, which one?”

“Who are the suspects?”

“Alix Kubdel; She’s been quiet throughout the choosings so far, but watching her expression just proves my theory: She’s envious that everyone is being picked but her. This could’ve lead to her becoming impatient, and taking matters into her own hands.

“Le-Chien Kim; he was chosen today, but he seemed particularly depressed this morning; perhaps a failed attempt at claiming a Kwami for his own? Canii can be difficult, so it’s definitely possibly she dissuaded him from stealing her Miraculous.

“Sabrina Raincomprix: Not very likely, but she’s best friends with Pollen’s chosen, and Chloe Bourgeois didn’t react well to seeing her best friend get chosen by Scuur. Maybe a plot between them both to grab a cuter Kwami? Or a plot by Sabrina herself to prove she’s not a rat hero? Or even an act by Chloe to grab a better Kwami and switch it out for her friend?

“And then, of course, Lila Rossi over there. She pretended to be a hero’s descendent a while back, and then was plotting to steal me the other day. She’s our prime suspect.”

“But why activate the Dog if she’s going for the Fox?”

“Maybe she planned on using Canii as a way to get to my Miraculous? We won’t know until we investigate further,” Trixx shrugged.

Adder’s eyes slit closed. “Why do I get the feeling that this wasn’t what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Because it wasn’t. Sure, that was an important aspect in last nights endeavors, but something else stirred up near the end of the night. I confirmed with Wayzz as well. I didn’t imagine it.”

“Imagine what?”

“Since the Minor eleven are here, what did we leave the old man with?”   
Adder's slit eyes widened, and she twisted nervously in the air. “He didn’t-”

“He did. Last night, Canii’s aura mysteriously shut off, and she’s back in the bag. I know for a fact the person who stole her did not return her. It has his energy on the box.”

“Is he crazy? He could die from that amount of strain, especially with his life so prolonged from being with Wayzz all those years.”

“He understands. In fact, I believe his faith in these students are so strong he’d sacrifice everything for them, including his life. That’s why he used the Unstable One.”

“That’s for emergencies only, though.”

“He must’ve seen the situation as an emergency, then. All I know is that he was here, and he was wearing it. I can’t speak for his actions, only tell you what they were.”   
Adder was silent as they glided through the air. Her mind twisted and turned, trying to rule out the man’s logic. Was he ready to move on to his next life? He certainly picked a hell of a time if so.

Trixx twirled in the air, narrowly avoiding the fingers that curled around Adder’s tail. The snakes eyes widened in surprise; was that conversation all a ploy to let Adder’s guard down? Trixx knew Adder’s tricks, but was it possible she sped up the choosing process? Adder shook her head.

“I believe,” Adder announced as the surprised gasps from the crowd sounded, “That we have a winner.”

Adder was released, and she slithered through the air, curling around the dark haired girls neck.

“You will do nicely. What would you say about venomous fangs?”

“Sounds awesome,” Juleka grinned, following Adder and reaching for the bracelet. 

Trixx watched as Kim and Juleka transformed. Kim shouted, “Baana, Leap!”, and a light tan light made its way up his being. His outfit was brown with a tan belly, two large tan ears resting upon his head. He now had a long thin tail used for climbing, which curled behind him, and his hands, he claimed, felt like they could stick to anything. He climbed up walls and across the ceiling. He swung from the rafters and hung upside down as he leapt from beam to beam.

After Juleka had called, “Adder, Rattle!”, Rose had screamed. Juleka no longer had legs, instead a seafoam green tail that connected to the top part of her suit curled up below her. Yellow eyes with black slits for pupils greeted anyone who looked at her. A large hood that looked like Adder’s frill covered her hair. Her teeth had two large fangs where her canines were previously. Black diamonds made their way down her new tail. Her venomous fangs were more like acidic fangs, as she bit into a chunk of concrete and it bubbled away into a pile of steaming goop.

Chat dodged a surprise attack from Kim, leaping backwards and blocking his fist with the metal staff. Chat’s ears twitched as he moved, eyes attempting to see something they couldn’t. 

Ladybug ducked under Juleka’s tail, landing a light strike between her shoulder blades. 

Carapace blocked a punch from Ivan, who hadn’t realized Carapace had his shield out until that moment.

Queen Bee leapt over Rose, who chased after her, nose twitching with excitement.

Sabrina transformed and joined the fight, dodging a charge attack from Nathaniel, who tried in vain to keep the smile off his face.

Alya went to transform, but noticed Trixx wasn’t with her. She glanced around, bewildered, before spotting a glint of orange in the top corner of the room. She went to look, but it was gone before she could see it clearer. A light weight sat down on her head.

“Alya, do you want to train too?” Trixx asked, surveying the fight.

“Weren’t you just across the room? How’d you move so fast?”   
“Hmm?”   
“I just saw some orange in that corner there. That was you, right?”

Trixx fell silent as she reached out with her magic. She didn’t feel anything at all.

“Yes,” She decided. “That was me.”

Rena Rouge transformed and joined the fight.

No one noticed their spectator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick like a Bunny...


	8. A Possible Mutiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug reveals their foes.

“Hey,” Kim called out during breakfast the next morning. The chatter died down and most of the students turned to look at the monkey hero. Baana was eagerly munching on a cracker, resting in the floof of Kim’s hair. 

“What, Kim?” Chloe snapped, irritated that he had interrupted her breakfast.

“You all have to call me Con Khi from now on!” He declared, placing his hands on his hips righteously. 

The class tittered as Ladybug stifled a laugh.

“Uh, why, Kim?”

“Because that’s my hero name! All the Major Seven have hero names! Heck, we even came up with one for that Peacock Villain, Peacock Nuit!”   


“Who I still don’t think exists,” Alix muttered. Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a nervous glance. Chat Noir tightened his blindfold.

“But they do!” Wayzz flew out from Nino’s pocket and into Alix’s face, who fell of her chair. “I felt Dusuu’s activation with a negative aura! Whoever holds Nooroo and Dusuu have negative intentions. That’s why we must get them back!

“Well, not that I’m doubting your magic powers or anything,” Alix said, brushing herself off and placing herself back on the bench. “But no one’s even seen this Peacock Nuit. So how can we believe that they’re even doing anything in the first place?”

“Actually,” Chat Noir interrupted, “I’ve seen Peacock Nuit.”

The class went silent, staring at him as if he had grown a third eye. His head remained forwards, but Marinette noticed a shifting of his blindfold, as if his eyes were darting back and forth.

“What?”

“I’ve seen Peacock Nuit. She’s clearly a woman, and as far as I can tell she doesn’t speak. But Hawkmoth calls her Le Paon.”

“Le Paon…” murmured Nino thoughtfully. “What does she look like? So we can all keep an eye out for her?”

“She wears blue and she’s scary. You’ll know when you see her.”

“Yeah, but that also applies to Ivan when he’s transformed,” Mylene piped in.

“True, but Le Paon is female, as Chat Noir clearly stated,” Max added.

“Well there’s only two villains, and one wears purple.”

“But if she’s as illusive as we think, then we may not know if we’re actually looking at her or not.”

“C’mon. She’s a peacock villain. It’ll be obvious. Just look for a big tail.”

“What if she doesn’t have a tail though? Then it won’t be as obvious.”

“I think we’ll know if we just look at her.”

“What if we never see her to begin with?”

“Then we won’t need to worry. Duh.”

“Actually, from what we’ve seen, I think we’re gonna need to worry a bit.”

“Alya has a point. She mind controls. She’s a sorceress. She has an army, and we’re just students in lycee.”

“Students with Miraculouses! We could take her out any day, right Baana?’

“Uh, hell yes we can!”

“Yeah!”

“Guys!” Ladybug interrupted. “Enough. We didn’t tell you about Le Paon because we wanted you to fight her, or be terrified of her, or keep an eye out. We just want you to know what we’re going to be up against. Hawkmoth and Le Paon are both very dangerous, and we just need you to be ready to face them. Training in here is going to be very different from the outside world. Because of Le Paon’s powers, we’re going to be fighting our friends and family. And at some points,” She glanced at Chat Noir, who still stared straight ahead, “even our own limitations.” She turned back to the group. “It’s not about who’s the most powerful anymore. It’s who is strong enough to survive until the end. And we must make sure that its us, or everything will fall to the darkness.”   
“Okay, so she does exist.” Kim sat back in his chair. “I heard that she’s in charge of Hawkmoth. Does that mean she’s more powerful?”

“Yeah, I heard that she’s in charge of the armies and the Akumas, right?”

“No, no. Hawkmoth is her leader. She follows  _ his _ orders,” Chat Noir explained. 

“But she created the army?”

“On Hawkmoth’s orders, idiot.”

“Shut up.”

“How’d she create the army? What are her powers?”

“She’s a sorceress. She has the ability of mind control on a large amount of people. She creates spells on certain objects or people. She can cure you, curse you, kill you. She can also enhance another Miraculous holder’s abilities.”

“In what way?”

“Well, Hawkmoth’s been enhanced. The Butterfly Patrols aren’t something he can normally do. He’s been able to gain complete control over his Butterflies now and he can command them do do his bidding. They patrol the city and grab any civilian they see, bringing them back to Le Paon for his army.He’s also able to create multiple Akumas at once. He currently has nine active.”

“Nine?!” Chloe fell out of her chair.

“Nine.”

“How’s that possible?”

“Magic, technically.” Chat Noir scratched his ear.

“Typical.”

“Who are they?”

Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a glance.

“We were going to tell you guys about them closer to the fight, so the information is fresh in your minds, but I guess it can’t hurt.”

“Things don’t usually go as planned, LB.” Chat Noir shrugged.

“Preach. Alright. The first is Miss Spell. Like the rest, she was created before the Apocalypse. Supposedly her teacher failed her on her spelling test. She’s been seeking vengeance ever since. From what we’ve seen and heard, she uses her powers by writing a word in the air with her staff, misspelled of course, and it will bring whatever she spelled out into reality. 

“Second is Spitfire. He certainly lives up to his name. If you see something on fire, chances are more likely that it was him than an electrical shortage. He’s pretty active. His hands have turned into two flames, and he can breath fire using them as torches. He can also use his hands as jets to achieve liftoff for a more effective way of travelling.

“Minja. This one is a kid, Hawmoth’s spy and best source of information. She can travel around without being heard, without being seen, without being noticed ever. She could be in this room, and the only reason we’d notice her would be because a Kwami would sense a negative presence in a part of the room where no one is.

“Blackout is next. See that dark sky? It’s currently around Nine AM. It should be a sunny morning, the birds should be chirping. But no. Blackout is the reason its pitch black outside. Someone put black paint all over her art project, so she covered us in black sky. She has the ability to take someone’s eyesight away with a snap of her fingers, by covering you in her darkness. She’ll be a tough one to take out.

“Lost Noise. This guy was a singer, an inspiration to all young kids who wanted to go to New York and star in Broadway plays. And life decided to step on his throat the day before the Peter Pan Musical tryouts and make him lose his voice completely. His power is to send out sound waves that can knock someone over, and then incapacitate them.”

“Excuse me, Ladybug, but is his name a play on the term ‘Lost Boys’ from the play Peter Pan?” Max straightened his glasses.

“It’s safe to say yes, Max. Nice thinking. Next is Capsizer. She’s what we call a human  _ tank _ . She has water themed powers, but she might as well never use them. She’s the team’s heavy duty destroyer. I’ve never seen destruction like this before. She has tough armor, two shoulder cannons that shoot blasts of water when her fists don’t work, and a crazy mind. She’s not to be messed with. 

“Deadeye’s a personal favorite of mine.” She felt a shift next to her and claws gripped into her shoulder. “Chat, get your hand off me, that’s sarcasm. He’s the most normal of the bunch. A sharpshooter with a thirst for blood, Deadeye’s been the guy who’s taking out super resistant civilians that the Patrols can’t handle alone. He has perfect accuracy and deadly aim. He’ll be one of the tougher ones.

“Third Strike and Czech Mate. Think these sound sorta dumb and pointless?” The class nodded slowly. “Think again. These two are in charge of Le Paon’s army. Third Strike is the General, his Lieutenant is Czech Mate. Let me break the names down for you, though. Czech is spelled C-z-e-c-h.”

“Oh,” Sabrina piped up. “The Czech Republic?”

“The very same. And can anyone think of something that sounds similar to Third Strike?”   


The class went silent, thinking hard. Ladybug overheard Kim mutter, “All I can think of is Baseball,”   


“Dirt Bike, Sharp Spike, Dreamlike, Turnpike, Apneic, Childlike, Hitchhike, Unsportsmanlike, Klondike, Thi…” Max looked up from his fingers, where he had been listing the rhymes. “You don’t mean…No way.”

“What?” Chloe asked, feeling uneasy in her seat at the grave looks being shared between Max and Ladybug.

“Third Reich?” Max asked hesitantly. The class fell silent and still.

“Third Reich. Hawkmoth has created two Akumas based off Hitler and Nazi Germany from World War II.”

The silence was deafening. Marinette remembered the year when their class took a field trip to Omaha Beach, looking at the historical site of a massacre. The story she listened to gave her chills. She watched as a couple walked their dog across the same sand that hundreds upon hundreds of American men were slaughtered. That was a beach of ghosts.

“Is he insane?” Alya snapped.

“Obviously.” Nino shook his head. “What can they do?”    


“Besides control an army? We’re not really sure. Those two are super elusive, but we’re still trying our best to get information from them,” Ladybug shrugged.

“At the moment, though, we need to finish finding your-”

“Souris!” Sabrina gasped, sitting up in her chair. The class turned to her, confused. Ladybug sucked in a breath, trying to calm her racing heart. 

“-Kwamis.” Chat Noir finished, staring at the redhead who was slowly turning the same color as her hair. 

“Uhhh… what did you say?” 

Sabrina blanched, “Uhh, I said… um… Souris?”

“What’s that?” Chloe asked, raising her eyebrow.

“My… um… hero name?”

“Souris?” Ladybug mused. “I like it. Kim is Con Khi, Sabrina is Souris.” 

Chat Noir shook his head fondly, before reaching for the bag resting at his feet. The class started cleaning up breakfast, and as Nathaniel was throwing out his food, Rose opened her mouth and screeched into his ear.

“Mochyn!” She leapt into the air as Nathaniel fell to the ground. The class turned to Rose as Marinette typed that into her yo-yo for later reference. 

“Kim, Con Khi; Sabrina, Souris; Rose, Mochyn. Wow, okay.” She shook her head, wondering how she would remember all these names along with their Kwami’s and powers. She’d just talk to Chat later to get her head straight. 

Rose helped Nathaniel clean up the mess he made when he collapsed and headed over to the bleachers, where their classmates were gathering. Ladybug pried the box open. The class was blinded by a pink ball of light.

A pink and black striped creature flew into the air, startling the class. Adrien and Marinette raised an eyebrow at the creatures eagerness. The Kwami’s eyes were orange, with a yellow sclera and slit pupils like Plagg’s.

“My name is Bengaal, the Tiger Kwami. I will grant my charge super speed. Unfortunately, my abilities require a human charge who has some meat on their bones. A human such as…” she glanced around and pointed to Juleka, “her. She wouldn’t be a good charge. But I see you’ve been chosen by Adder, so that won’t be a problem. Hmmm,” She glanced around the room, visiting Alix but moving on after a couple seconds. Then she perked up. 

“You will do nicely,” She flew over to Mylene, who hopped back in fear. Bengaal opened her mouth, but was cut off by a yelp.

“Hey! What about Reith?” Nathaniel asked Max, peering down on his phone. Max gave the class an apologetic glance before stating, “I believe it’s a perfect fit, Nathaniel. But maybe next time be a bit quieter.”

Nathaniel looked up and turned tomato red as all eyes fell upon him.

_ Kim, Con Khi. Sabrina, Souris. Rose, Mochyn. Nathaniel, Reith _ , Ladybug thought to herself as she entered it into her yo-yo.

“As I was about to say,” Bengaal cleared her throat. “You’d be a perfect fit, Mylene. I can already tell you’re not used to being fast, but you’d be surprised how naturally my power comes to my charges. I’d recommend giving me a chance.”

Mylene glanced around. Ladybug gave her an encouraging nod. Chat Noir flashed a thumbs up, and Ladybug angled them towards Mylene instead of the empty seat. Ivan’s comforting hand found her shoulder.

“I g-guess I’ll give you a try. I’m Mylene, b-but you already knew that…”

“It’s okay Mylene. I like formal introductions. I’m Bengaal. My ability is super speed, but I’ll also give you a nice set of claws, ears, and cool night vision abilities. Should we try it out?”

“Not yet, Bengaal,” Chat Noir piped in. “We have to assign another charge with the next Kwami first. But you’ll get your chance.” 

Bengaal gave both heroes a long, hard stare, before turning back around like she hadn’t seen them to begin with. Trixx shook her head and ducked back into Alya’s pocket. 

“Okay. For when you are ready to transform, you’ll say ‘Bengaal, Pounce!’ Just go easy on the speed at first, okay? Running fast doesn’t mean you’re invincible. You can still break a few bones if you crash into a concrete block.”

Mylene shivered but nodded nonetheless.

“Since when are Tigers pink?” Alix grumbled, crossing her arms. 

Ladybug grabbed another box and pried it open.

A four legged creature burst forwards, leaving the gray ball of light behind. It was a gray headed horse, with a beautiful white mane and body. It galloped through the air without an introduction, landing directly in front of Luka, startling the guitarist. The Kwami’s green eyes were startling against its neutral frames.

“You’re a traveler, right?”

Luka blinked before nodding slowly. “I get around. I’m Luka.”

“Well, then it’s nice to meet you, Luka. My name is Indyy, the Horse Kwami. What would you say to being my charge?”

“That sounds pretty awesome. How’d you pick me so fast?”

“I have a good eye for potential Stallions or Mares. You’re going to have a large amount of stamina, plus the speed and strength of a real horse! How’s that sound?” Indyy whinnied. 

Luka grinned, brushing his blue tinged locks from his eyes. “Sounds great.”

“Okay! My command is ‘Gallop’.”

Luka cried, “Indyy, Gallop!” And suddenly his hair was tinged white instead of blue and a long, fluffy lock trailed down his back, almost reaching the fluffy white tail coming from his rear. His suit was mostly white, with a gray saddle marking on his back, and a gray mask. He leapt off the bleachers, ignoring Rose and Juleka’s laughter at his ridiculous hair. He whooped excitedly.

“I feel like I could run forever!” He shouted as he cantered around the room. Ladybug giggled and shook her head, turning to see Mylene nervously talking to Bengaal. Mylene’s finger came into contact with Bengaal’s head and the tiger purred, rubbing herself against the pad of her digit.

Mylene nodded as Bengaal spoke, nervously calling out, “Bengaal, Pounce?” 

She was enveloped with a pink light, revealing a pink suit with black stripes. Her teeth were sharp, and three stripes came over her mask, which reached up to the matching bandana still covering her hair. Two round ears were placed low on her head. A tail lay dormant behind her, striped black near the tip. Mylene took a trip around the room quickly, running fast and powerful. Even Chat raised an eyebrow at her speed, feeling the wind brush his back as she passed by them. Kim whooped in excitement, following quickly as he transformed mid run.

Juleka came up to Ladybug as more students transformed and ran off, followed closely behind by Ivan. 

“What’s up, guys?”

“Uh, we have our Hero Names. I’m Sarpa,” Juleka muttered quietly.

“Bika. It’s Hungarian, like my mom,” Ivan told her.

“I like both of them,” Ladybug reassured them.

She pulled out her yo-yo and typed in the two new names, reviewing the list.

_ Kim is Con Khi. _

_ Sabrina is Souris. _

_ Rose is Mochyn. _

_ Nathaniel is Reith. _

_ Juleka is Sarpa. _

_ Ivan is Bika. _

She didn’t know how she was going to remember all eleven of their names, but by god she was dedicated enough to try her best.

“Hey, Ladybug? When are you gonna tell us the plan to take down Hawkmoth and Le Paon?”

Someone yelled from across the room.

“Oh, umm,” Ladybug looked to Chat Noir for help, but then remembered he couldn’t see her. “We’re still working out the kinks. But it’ll be soon, I swear.”

“Still working out the kinks?” Alix repeated.

“That sounds like you’re stalling. How long are we gonna sit here and pretend there’s no apocalypse going on?”

“We’re not. We just making sure that when we do attack, it’s not going to be in vain. If we’re unprepared, we could fail. We can’t afford to just head out and lose everything,” Chat Noir said.

“You should’ve made a plan before you even started this whole operation! We could’ve been attacking him right now!” 

“Yeah, we could’ve had our families back!” Sabrina piped up.

“Guys, it’s gonna work out. Chat Noir and I have been working tirelessly to make sure this doesn’t go down the drain.”

“Have you now? Definitely doesn’t sound like it. You still haven’t told us any part of your plan,” Lila snapped. “I don’t want to just walk to my death, thanks.”

“Since when are Akumas a big deal anyways? Why haven’t we cleansed them yet?”

“Guys, please just think for a second.”

“Think? Clearly we’re thinking more than you if you don’t have a plan yet!”

“We have a plan! It's just not complete yet!”

“You might as well not have a plan at all, then!”   


“Enough!” A high voice yelled out. The steaming students turned to look at the fuzzy yellow Kwami that was glaring down at them all.

“Who are you?” Someone snapped.

“I’m Pollen. The Kwami of the Bee. Now all of you listen up!” She snapped. The class jumped at her sudden change in tone.

“You’re all being pathetic. You wanna fight the Akumas now? How’s this: You’ve heard of the Akumas, but not seen them. Miss Spell’s powers sound dumb, but you haven’t seen her drop a building on someone yet!”   


“She is correct,” Wayzz flew up next to Pollen. “And Spitfire has killed a few civilians by burning them alive.”

“You haven’t seen Minja target someone. The person doesn’t even know they’re dead until they’re lying on the ground, cut in half.”   


“Blackout hasn’t killed anyone yet, but she’s powerful enough to cause a death. I’ve seen her make people disappear by turning them into a shadow. They’re not dead, but they’ll never see the light of day again, and I mean this literally.”

“Lost Noise sounds pathetic but his power causes people to completely lose their hearing, and he’s almost perfected using the Death Note: a sound so low that it causes the human heart to stop. He also can explode the human brain using the perfect frequency. We’ve seen him use it once and hope he never does it again,” Pollen said, voice hard.

“Capsizer is the reason the Seine is currently twice as wide and deep as normal. She’s also the reason all those buildings out there are just rubble. Once you’ve seen her destroy a building, you hope you never have to see it again.”

“And then there’s Deadeye.” A orange figure joined them, and Trixx’s face had never looked more grim. “He’s claimed the most deaths so far. If a Patrol can’t grab a human smoothly, he kills them.”

“Wait, what?” Ladybug cried out. “I thought he was knocking them out!” 

“No reason to. He kills the civilian and the Patrol brings their body to Le Paon. Le Paon then animates their dead body as an almost completely indestructible soldier. She has a lot of them, too. More often than not, a civilian will fight back to being taken by the Patrol.” Trixx turned to the students, who had never looked more pale. “So do you guys still want to question why it’s taking so long for your leaders to come up with a plan? It’s because they’re trying to keep you guys alive. They’re trying to keep everyone alive. Do you really think that they want to fight your reanimated dead body on the streets of Paris? ‘Cause they don’t.” Trixx snapped.

The class was quiet.

“Can we revive the dead people with the Miraculous Ladybug spell?” Alya asked, looking at her feet.

Ladybug was quiet when she said, “I don’t know. I’ve never had to bring someone back to life. I’ve never lost a fight to an Akuma, and I’ve never allows a life to be lost.”

Silence.

“Please forgive our ignorance, Ladybug and Chat Noir,” Max spoke up numbly. The class murmured in agreement.

“It’s fine guys. Just… lets head to bed. It’s probably late by now.” Chat Noir’s ear twitched at the lie. His internal clock told him it was about 4 pm, but he understood that no one would be asking for food anymore. No one was hungry. 

The students filed out of the gymnasium, heading towards their respective rooms. Ladybug turned to Chat Noir, feeling defeated.

“Maybe we should be putting more effort into the plan… We could’ve beat them by now.”

“Don’t lie to yourself. You know for a fact that we’ve spent every waking hour working on this plan. When one of us wakes up at night, we work on the plan. When we go back to the room, we’re working on the plan. When we’re changing, we’re asking each other about ideas that could potentially work.” It took him a second, but he found her shoulder and lightly gripped it. “We’re working our asses off. They have no right to judge us for taking a while. Trust me,”   


“Alright. Shall we continue from where we left off last night?”

“I believe we shall, M’lady.”

* * *

 

“... And what about these two?”

“I don’t think so. He’d be useless against that demon. No way is he fast enough. How about him against her?” A finger pointed to the paper. 

“Maybe, I think it should be a consideration. They’d probably cancel each other out, and that way whoever’s paired with him could use that to their advantage.”

“Sure, yeah that’d work. From what we’ve heard, this Kwami will have the same power as him, so how about not putting them against each other?”

“Definitely not. It just wouldn’t work at all. How about her and… this Kwami and its new holder?”

“Sure, sure. Specially if its her. She’d keep that girl in check.”

“I could imagine their faces. Yeah that should work well. And then these two and those two…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't'cha just love headaches?


	9. Ten Down, One to Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End approaches.

Marinette woke up to find her face stuck to a sheet of paper, and her partner pacing the room with his hand resting on his neck.

“Wha…” She blinked sleepily and resisted closing her eyes as sleep overwhelmed her.

“Stupid Hawkmoth, stupid Le Paon, goddamn Miraculouses, I hate everyone, damned father I could be studying physics right now…”

“Adrien what’s wrong? Another switch?” Marinette yawned.

“I’m having another switch,” he answered testily. Marinette raised an eyebrow when he didn’t continue.

“And?” she prompted.

“Remember how you thought Gabriel was Hawkmoth? Like, four years ago?”

“Gabriel? You mean your dad? Why are you bringing this up again, he got akumatized and shoved away our suspicions.” 

“Remind me what your evidence was again?”

“Why?”

“Humor me. For old times sake,” his voice was steady, but there was a desperate undertone that she couldn’t ignore.

“Fine. His logo was a butterfly. Hell, all scattered throughout your house is butterfly-like patterns. He’s always been cold and secluded. When was the last time he left his house?” When he didn’t answer, she continued. 

“Exactly. You don’t even know. And then there was the fact that he hadn’t ever been akumatized even though he never seemed happy, but then… you know.”

“Hmm.” Adrien didn’t stop pacing, but his brow was furrowed even more behind his blindfold. Marinette watched walk in a circle before speaking up, “What is it?”

He took a deep breath, and Marinette thought he wouldn’t answer. “Inside his Miraculous pin is a picture of my mother.” 

If Marinette was standing, she would’ve fallen over. Her mouth dropped and her eyes bulged as she attempted to form words. She managed to choke out, “how?”

“Dunno. But he’s clearly detransformed, right on schedule. I’m looking at my mother’s face, Nooroo floating next to it. And underneath are a pair of hideous red pants. Pretty sure it’s my father.”

“Oh shit…” Marinette couldn’t think of how to help him. Then she frowned. She liked his pants.

“He lied to me for four years, Marinette," he muttered. “He tried to  _ kill _ me for four years.”

“I… I don’t know…”

“Believe me,” Adrien sighed, ruffling his hair. “Neither do I.”

* * *

 

Adrien was surprisingly calm about his father. Worryingly calm. Marinette looked for any sign of horror or depression of anger from her partner, but all she saw was resignation. She knew he had finally realized that his father was a jerk who didn’t really care about his son, but realizing he was Hawkmoth must’ve brought up some violent feelings. But it didn’t.

“Chat Noir, are you sure you’re okay?” She asked as Luka walked away, side by side with Mylene as they chatted casually. 

“Sure. What were their names again? I wasn’t listening.”

“Oh, uh Luka is Ganika and Mylene is Cazadora.”

“Ganika and Cazadora. Cool. What about the rest?”

“Let’s see if I can do it from memory… Kim is Con Khi, Sabrina is Souris, Nathaniel is Reith, Juleka is Sarpa, Ivan is Bika, Rose is Mochyn, Luka is Ganika, and Mylene is Cazadora. Three left, I guess,” a finger tapped her chin as she tried to remember who was left. Maybe a wolf or something?

“Three left,” Chat Noir repeated, stretching his neck.. Ladybug gave him an encouraging smile, her soft lips turning up in the slightest way. He gripped her hand, sensing her grin.

“You guys ready?” Ladybug called. A murmur of agreement went up and Ladybug placed her hand on Chat’s shoulder. He nodded.

Chat Noir pulled out the next box, pulling the lid back and releasing a flash of light. 

A yellow-orange creature flew into the air, with orange eyes and a beak. He crowed at the top of his lungs, and the class covered their ears.

“Good morning, young class! I am Daawn, your new teacher! Today we’re gonna learn about how it takes 230 decibels to explode the human brain!” the Rooster exclaimed. Mylene gagged and Rose whimpered. Max straightened in his seat.

“Actually, sir, it’s 240 decibels, but that’s only a theory. You are the Rooster Kwami, I assume?”   


“I am! Max Kante, hmm? What else do you know about sound?”

“Well, sound comes from the vibration of molecules, so if I do this,” Max snapped his fingers, letting the sound travel around the room, “that is just the molecules of my finger hitting the molecules of my palm and vibrating them. Sound travels around 343 meters per second at sea level, but it varies based on temperature and elevation of the surrounding gases the sound travels through. The human brain perceives sound based on pitch, duration, loudness, timbre, sonic texture, and spatial location. Those are all parts of Audible sound, though. Don’t get me started on Ultrasound or Infrasound,” Max warned them.

“Yeah, please don’t.” Kim and Chloe muttered.

Daawn didn’t answer, instead flying in circles around Max’s head, critiquing him slowly.

“I’m beginning to think that you would be a well chosen charge, Max. What do you think?”   


“Well, sound has always interested me. I would guess that the power granted to me, if I do choose to be your charge, would be sound related??”

“Why, yes! My abilities are sound based. You would have super hearing and be able to create powerful sound waves that would have a variety of effects based off your actions.”

“I definitely approve. I’ll be your charge, Daawn!”

Chat Noir nodded in approval and Ladybug grabbed the next box.

Chat’s nimble finger pried open the next box, and a brown and white canine appeared. The dog smiled, glancing around the room. Her lips curled into a sinister smirk. Ladybug tensed. She had never seen such an  _ evil _ look from a Kwami before.

“Hello, little  _ mutt _ ,” she said with a cold pleasantry. Alya straightened up, thinking the dog was talking to her. But behind Alya, Lila froze, tensing all her muscles as if she wanted to disappear from sight. 

“Excuse me?” Ladybug demanded.

“Oh, don’t worry dear. I wasn’t talking to Trixx’s charge. No no, the little girl I’m speaking to knows who she is. Why don’t you come down here… whatever your name was. It wasn’t important enough for me to remember.” 

Lila didn’t move.

“Oh, come now. Don’t be shy. It’s not like it’s the first time we’re meeting. Yeah, I seem to recall you stole my miraculous and tried to, what was it? ‘Command me as my new Master?’ Yeah, that gave me a good laugh.” 

“What are you talking about?” Chat Noir asked, tense next to his partner. He gripped his staff.

“Oh my goodness. I haven’t introduced myself. I am Canii, the Dog Kwami. But you already know that, don’t you, Lila Rossi?” Canii’s voice echoed threateningly around the room as the class turned to look at Lila.

“Why would you know that, Lila?” Chloe snapped. Lila didn’t answer, scrambling for an excuse.

“Oh, she stole me, like I said. Pretended to be a powerful master of the Kwamis. She wanted to use me to get to Trixx. I know Trixx has been investigating why I was released, by why investigate when I can tell you directly?”

Trixx popped her head out, finally looking at what was going down. Ladybug’s face was steel, not moving her eyes from Canii. Chat Noir’s staff was tapping the ground anxiously, no doubt waiting for Lila to bolt or Alix to tackle her. Speaking of Alix, she was steaming at the news, no doubt angry that Lila attempted to steal a Kwami instead of waiting patiently like she had been all along. Chloe was shaking her head in doubt, wondering how someone could be dumb enough to steal a Miraculous when surrounded by trained Miraculous Holders. Most of the Kwamis stared, wondering who would move first. Trixx could’ve sworn she saw Daawn and Wayzz muttering to each other, possibly placing bets. Alya shook in anger, listening to Canii explain her motives.

“We have told you,” Alya started, shaking violently, “that you are not going to get the Fox Miraculous. You’ll never take Trixx!”   


“Alya!” Nino yelled as she leapt to her feet. He grabbed her shoulder, pulling her into his chest. He glanced at his friends, ready to swing their weapons. Trixx flew up in front of Lila’s face. She leapt backwards in shock.

“Lila, would you mind if Canii and I spoke to you privately?” Trixx asked calmly. Lila glanced between the two Kwamis. Trixx. Canii. Trixx. Canii. Trixx. She nodded, albeit reluctantly. Canii also gave a curt nod and Trixx led Lila out of the room. Trixx felt Daawn’s presence follow the from a distance. It made sense. He was their alarm if Lila made a wrong move.

“So Lila, why do you believe that you are the true holder of the Fox Miraculous? I understand this started with the incident with Adrien and his book, but this has gone too far. We need the truth,” Trixx informed her. Lila didn’t answer.

“Lila, your name may sound like ‘Lie’, but it’s time to tell the truth.” Canii huffed. Lila flinched.

“My Akuma was Volpina. I became the hero I really am. Isn’t that a hint that I’m the true holder?”   


Canii laughed. Loud.

“Yes, Hawkmoth is the creator of fate. He knew that we would have this conversation in the future so he made you Volpina so you could become your true self. Are you kidding me, Lila? That’s crap and you know it. The truth, please.”

“You want the truth? It’s mine by right. I really am a descendant of Volpina. My great great grandmother was a fox hero by the name of Volpina. The right of the Fox Miraculous was left in her will to her ancestors. Legally, you are mine,” Lila stated, finally looking up at Trixx. “I need Canii to get to you, because no one would actually believe me.”   


“Not only would they not believe you, they wouldn’t give it to you even if they did. Miraculouses don’t follow the laws of any land. They’re super magical weapons, not a house or a sum of money. We are passed to whoever is worthy of gaining the ability. This generation is Alya. It isn’t you.”

Lila was silent as she looked at her feet. Moments later, Trixx saw something glisten on her cheek.

“Don’t worry Lila. I didn’t tell you this beforehand but you’re almost perfect candidate for my Miraculous. The only thing I needed you to do was tell the truth,” Canii told her, pressing her paw into her cheek. Lila looked up, eyes red.

“W-was this a set up?” she blinked.

“To confirm your compatibility, yes. To help you move towards being a better person, no. This was an experience to help you bond with Canii. She’s not nearly as mean as she pretends to be,” Trixx winked at Canii before flying back through the door and sitting in Alya’s pocket.

“Canii picked Lila. Who’s next?” Trixx asked. The class exchanged a glance before turning to Alix, who was still irritated.

“I can’t believe that bitch got picked before me…” she muttered to herself, before marching down the steps past Lila, who had re-entered the room looking like nothing happened.   
Ladybug pulled out the last box, staring at it with anticipation.

Ten down, one to go.

The box opened with a bright flash of light, and a blood red and black creature flew into the air. It’s small body was dwarfed by its large head, decked with large spikes. Its yellow sclera was decked with orange irises and slit pupils. The Kwami glanced around with it’s tail swishing behind it.

“You, hmm?” it hummed as it flew around Alix, who was looking much more excited than she had seconds before. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Alix. I am Ignii, the Dragon Kwami. I’ll grant you a really bad cough.”

“What?” Alix asked, raising her eyebrow. Trixx snorted.

“Oh yeah, its bad. Whenever you breathe out really hard, your gonna cough up some stuff. Its sorta dangerous to other people, so unless you wanna hurt your friends, you gotta keep it under wraps.”   


“My power is coughing?”

“Well yeah. I mean, other people call it ‘breathing fire’, but it’s overrated.” Ignii winked at Alix, who laughed. “So, how’s that cough sounding to ya?”

“Sounds awesome!” Alix punched the air, barely missing the Kwami as it zipped around her head.    


“Welcome to the team, Ignii and Alix,” Chat Noir told them, grinning as Ladybug giggled. Ignii bowed, eyeing the partner quickly before turning back to Alix.

“Max, you transform first!” Kim yelled out. Max nodded, turning to Daawn.

“My command is, ‘Crow’,” Daawn instructed.

“Daawn, Crow!” Max called, before being covered in a orange-fading-to-yellow suit. His tail unfurled, showing off glamourous feathers. His large crest came from his hair, making its way down his neck and attaching to his suit. He clapped his hands, sending out a sound wave that knocked over the majority of the class. He opened his mouth and crowed, a loud sound that caused the class to cry out in pain.    


“Sorry!” he cried out afterwards. Chloe seemed irritated, but the rest of the class waved it off, as it was too cool to be mad about.

Canii whispered something to Lila, who winced and nodded quietly.

Lila transformed next, quietly calling “Canii, Growl,” and transforming with a flash of bright brown light. Her suit was mostly brown, but her mask was white under the eyes and between, copying Canii’s white diamond shape on her forehead. Pretty black lines looked like cat eye eyeliner around her eyes, an ironic addition to the dog suit. Her belly was white, and she didn’t have a tail like the rest of her classmates. Her hair imitated her hair when she was Akumatized, turning white at the tips again. The class watched her closely, but she didn’t seem to have any extremely special powers besides wolf-like abilities.

“Okay, Alix. You’re going to want to repeat after me.”   


“Sure!” Alix leapt out of her seat, overly excited. Ignii grinned.

“Say, Ignii, R-”   


But Ignii was cut off as the roof caved in and a large swarm of white butterflies descended into the gymnasium.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> exams suck


	10. Let's Suit UP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan comes together.

_ Gabriel had smiled at his son during the day he was born. Just like his wife, the sun had blessed Adrien with its ability to light up a room. The light bent towards his son, his sun, as Emilie passed the baby towards her husband's arms, slipping back into the pillows as Gabriel’s arms caressed the infant. Adrien had look towards his father with Emilie’s eyes. He had smiled back.  _

_ Gabriel had smiled at his son when his wife’s suggested Adrien learn piano. Adrien's face lit up with joy, wondering how long it would take to learn the song that played during his favorite television show. The plinking sounds we’re barely audible under Bennett Foddy’s typical monologue about the man in the cauldron, but the notes had always interested Adrien.  _

_ Gabriel could already picture his son much older, playing before an audience of one hundred thousand. His hands slipped effortlessly across the keys, gliding with untold grace, his eyes closed instead of reading the notes before him. Gabriel could see his son as a hero to all, reciting Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, for a crowd of bewitched onlookers. Then, he flipped the page. Adrien didn’t say a word. He started tapping the keys, and the people below him realized the concert had taken a turn. This was no longer a concert of classics. Adrien was playing an original song. Light tapping fingers pranced, pirouetting into a clashing sound that stirred the audience. He finished with a flourish, hands dancing above his head as he reached for the microphone and announced his dedication of that song. It was for his parents, who had supported him his entire life.  _

_ Gabriel liked to smile at his son. _

* * *

 

Screams erupted around Marinette. Her hands came up instinctively, and Chat Noir ripped his blindfold off his face. His eyes only had a second to adjust before he was spinning his baton to shield the students behind him.

“Everyone out now!” Ladybug shouted over the buzz of the angry butterflies.

“Go go go!” Chat yelled, pushing a student out the door. Rena Rouge was blocking another group, and a turtle-shell shield flew through the air, slicing through the butterflies like butter.

An angry whiz leapt through the air, and parted the butterfly hoard. Queen Bee launched herself into the fray as their classmates panicked and fled.

“Chloe get them out of here!” Ladybug yelled. Queen Bee nodded, catapulting herself out the door and to the front of the student stampede.

“This way! I know a safe place!” She shouted. The classmates followed her as the remaining four fought off the growing swarm. 

Chat Noir swiped through the air, taking out row after row. Rena Rouge did the same, her small flute a fearsome weapon of destruction. Carapace’s shield whizzed through the air, slicing the white devils.

Ladybug ducked under another swarm and launched herself across the room, pushing off the wall and clearing out a section.

Ladybug yelled, “Carapace, take Rena and go! We’ll follow you soon!”

“What?”

“Just go!” Chat shouted, dodging another wave. Carapace nodded sharply, grabbing his girlfriends hand and dragging her screaming body down the hall. Ladybug and Chat Noir backed up, hitting each other’s backs and falling into sync. 

Ladybug ducked when she felt Chat’s shoulders shift, knowing he was about to turn around and swing his baton in a long circle. Chat Noir felt Ladybug’s foot slide, and leapt upwards, predicting her swing of the yo-yo to the millisecond. Ladybug tapped Chat Noir’s back twice and he spun around, laced his fingers, and lifted straight up when her foot planted between his palms. She twirled through the air, capturing butterfly after butterfly until the room only had a few strays bobbing up and down, clearly confused. 

She landed hard on the ground, taking Chat’s offered hand and sprinting out the door, following the other pack that peeled off and chased their friends. Chat grabbed Ladybug’s hand and launched them into the air, the end of his staff hitting the ground hard and he held Ladybug between his arms. She sat up, using his shoulder for balance, and raised her yo-yo, wobbling slightly.

“Don’t move,” she muttered into his ear. His head shifted slightly as he answered her, voice muffled by her hair.

“Don’t miss,” he whispered, tightening his muscles to keep them still.

“I never miss,” she threw her yo-yo right as they began to fall. The yo-yo zipped through the air, opening wide and glowing pink as it swallowed the butterfly trail, sucking them in like a black hole. Chat’s feet hit the next roof, and he placed his lady down lightly.

“Great job, Mari.” 

“I told you, I don’t miss,” she said distractedly. Her eyes flew back to the building they fled from, seeing its destroyed state. They traced the broken structure beams, the shattered windows, the crushed pieces of plaster and concrete.

“Hey,” Adrien called gently. Her eyes found his, and after a week of not seeing them, they were more beautiful than ever. Her hand found his cheek, and he leaned into it gently. “We’re gonna win.”

“I know. We always win when we work together.”

“We’re the dream team,” he chuckled.

“Cat and Bug Duo,” she smiled.

“LadyNoir and CatBug,” Adrien shook his head.

“Partners forever,” Marinette pressed her palm into his cheek before retracting it reluctantly. “We need to find the class.”

Chat Noir's face hardened. 

“Yeah. Any idea where they went?” he glanced around.

Ladybug sighed, “Unfortunately, no. Chloe wasn’t really specific with her idea.”

“Well,” he started, “she did say she knew it was unoccupied. And there’s only one place I can think of that is both unoccupied and big enough to house all sixteen of us.”

Ladybug was silent for a moment. “She didn’t.”

“Of course she did. It’s  _ Chloe _ . She needs to be comfortable or none of us will be comfortable.”

* * *

 

Ladybug slammed her hands into the nearest window. It rattled, but didn’t shatter. 

“Maybe this was a good idea after all,” Chat commented as he rapped on the glass a couple of times. The partners slipped through the darkness and leapt to the roof.

“What floor is Chloe’s room on? That’s probably where she hid them all, right?” Ladybug adjusted the papers wrapped up in her yo-yo. They had decided to stop back at the school and grab all their notes, instead of trying to remember all the plans they had decided on. Chat’s belt was stuffed with papers as well. 

“I think it’s the fourteenth. Top floor. There’s like, eight rooms on that floor. That works too, we can pair up for each room.”

“So how do we get in without going to the ground floor? I doubt anyone will open the windows, just in case we’re an Akuma.”

“True, true. Fire escape?”   


“I thought those were all blocked off now?”

“Ah, I forgot. Maybe… Wait,” Chat’s face lit up with an idea. “The windows!”

“Didn’t we just decide that the windows aren’t an option?” Ladybug scratched her head.

“Yeah, but I know a trick to unlock them from the outside. I used to detransform in the empty rooms by sneaking in.”

“Okay. Do all the windows do that?”

He shrugged. “Hopefully.” He leapt off the edge of the roof, turning in midair and grabbing onto the edge. He inched his way down to the top floor window, resting his toes on the ledge. Ladybug peered down as he felt around near the lock, sliding his claw around until he felt something catch on it. He pulled up on the lock, and yelped as the window slid down under him. He slid inside, reaching out to help Ladybug in after him. The dark room was dusty and dank, but Chat Noir maneuvered his way around the displaced furniture, still leading Ladybug behind him. She stumbled over a chair leg, and Chat Noir turned just in time to catch her. She breathed out a captured breath into his chest before straightening. He didn’t move.

“Let’s keep moving,” she told him.

“Wait,” he stilled her with his palm, placing it on her shoulder and quieting her movements. She waited as the slight glow of his eyes disappeared. His ear twitched at the slightest sound of angry wisps of wind; wisps he recognized as an argument being conveyed through whispers.

“This way,” he told her, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the rest of the room. They exited the room. Chat guided her towards the door farther down the hall, where the whispers where getting louder and more prominent. Nino’s voice was clearly discernible between the angry whisperings of Alya and Chloe.

His hand lightly placed on the door, and the whispering stopped with a loud “Shh!” Shuffling could be heard, and now Ladybug was aware of the situation. Chat Noir slowly turned the doorknob, as not to scare his classmates as the door swung open easily. 

Chat could see Carapace, Rena Rouge, and Queen Bee standing protectively before the rest of their class, whose activation phrases were on the tips of their tongues. A blockade of chairs, tables and even the frame of a bed made a blockade in front of their classmates. The drapes were drawn, and the only light source was the dim brightness of the student’s phones. Rena Rouge was the first to relax.

“Ladybug. Chat Noir. Thank god.” she breathed out heavily, and the rest of the class visibly relaxed. Queen Bee wrapped her trompo back up, and Carapace rested his forearms on his shield in relief.

“Everyone alright?” Ladybug asked, moving through the gathering of students. The majority of the class nodded, though Queen Bee complained of hitting her elbow on the doorframe on their way out.

“Ladybug,” Rena Rouge started, “what happened back there? I thought we were safe?”

“So did we. I guess the Patrols were more aware of our presence than we suspected. Luckily, though, this place has been abandoned since this whole thing started.”

“Could you imagine if it wasn’t abandoned? Where would we have gone?” someone whispered. Ladybug looked away uncomfortably. 

“Chloe, how’s the building holding up?” Chat Noir asked.

“Well, none of the elevators work, and we boarded off the stairwell. The dumbwaiters are still functional, but I don’t know if any of us could even fit in there anymore. The water is working, but the heating system is down, along with the cable, wifi, and the majority of the electrical appliances.”

“Which ones are working?” 

“The water is electrically heated, so we’re lucky that’s working. The lighting, but there’s no reason to use than unless we want a surprise visit from Hawkmoth and his army. The clocks are working, so that’s helpful, I guess. But anything that’s plugged into an outlet isn’t working.”

“That’s so weird. Logically, if one part of the electricity is down, the rest is.”

“Yeah. Even in this hotel, all the electrical systems are connected to a couple breaker boxes in the basement. But I checked them. They’re all intact. Nothing should be wrong with anything, but yet here we are,” Queen Bee shrugged helplessly. 

Chat Noir frowned. “Obviously whatever’s wrong with this building isn’t following the laws of Physics.”

“Probably the laws of these dumb magic items we’re all carrying. I prefer Physics, honestly.” Queen Bee flipped her hair and wandered off. Ladybug had forgotten that Chloe wanted to go to college for a degree in Physics. It was one of the biggest personality glow-ups she had ever seen. 

Rose checked the nearest clock mounted on the wall. “Oh, it’s really late guys…” Max’s yawn further proved her point. Ladybug glanced around to see her classmates leaning on one another, fighting large yawns with their dirty hands.

“Chloe, you said the water is working? And so is the water heater?”

“For some reason unknown to mankind, yes. My professor would be having a stroke right know if he saw the state of this place…”

“How many rooms are on this floor?”   


“Eight, I think. Why?” Queen Bee’s answer directed most attention towards Ladybug

“I’m thinking we’re all gonna split into pairs and spend the night in the room. We need to rest. Tomorrow’s… Tomorrow’s the big day.”

A collective murmuring spread across the room. A couple students grabbed their best friends, pairing up for a room immediately.

“The water works, like Chloe said. Clean yourselves up, get to bed, try not to stay up too late. We’re gonna be up early in the morning to explain the plan to you,” Ladybug told them.    
“Okay, mom,” someone in the back called. Ladybug rolled her eyes.

The students went off in pairs; Ivan and Mylene, Alya and Nino, Nathaniel and Luka, Juleka and Rose, Kim and Max, Chloe and Sabrina claimed that this room was theirs, as it was Chloe’s real room. Everyone knew that Ladybug and Chat Noir would share a room, so no one asked about them. But then Ladybug saw who was left, and she sorta wished they had.    
Lila and Alix refused to make eye contact as they began to realize the situation they were stuck in. 

“Uhh, there’s one room with two beds. Maybe you can negotiate to use that one instead of like, sharing a bed?” Sabrina piped up. The girls glared at each other before nodding sharply and storming out of the room. A few seconds later there was a crash and a muffled scream, and the pitter-patter of quick feet running the other direction passed by the doorway. 

“Alright, let’s go,” Chat Noir said, taking Ladybug’s hand and heading to the only empty room.

It was larger than life, as most rooms in the Le Grand Paris Hotel were, but it seemed smaller than normal. Maybe it was the overturned furniture, or the open suitcases left from fleeing customers, or the phone charger still plugged into a dead outlet. Chat Noir locked the door and placed a chair under the handle before releasing the transformation. Plagg flew to the bed and passed out immediately. Adrien turned to Ladybug.

“You alright, bugaboo?” he placed his hand on her back. She slowly looked up at him.

“Adrien… what if-”   
“No. No what ifs. Not gonna be a discussion. We know the consequences. We know the risks. So do they, so let’s not discuss them. We should really get to bed.”

She hesitated, before nodding and detransforming. They both took turns in the bathroom, Marinette ignoring his jokes about sharing, and passed out as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

* * *

 

Hawkmoth was gazing over his city. Yes, that would never get old. He loved hearing those words, thinking those words.  _ His _ city. His city was almost perfect. He had complete control. He was unstoppable, thanks to his assistant, his army, his Akuma’s, his Butterly Patrols. World Domination was never his goal, but it was starting to become very appealing. 

His first course of action, however, would be to resurrect his wife, the only person that truly mattered to him. 

And to do that, he needed the most powerful MIraculouses of all.

The Ladybug, power of good luck, creation, hope, and the Yin.

The Black Cat, power of bad luck, destruction, doubt, and the Yang.

He needed Emilie back.

So he would gain those Miraculous, use them, and then conquer the world with her at his side.

But for now, his attention was focused at the small speck of black visible on the building closest to his viewing point. He looked closer, and saw a blonde lock shift to reveal glowing green eyes. He straightened up, pressing his cane into the ground. So the cat came to play. All alone, it seemed.

Chat Noir straightened up as well, stretching lazily and appearing visibly relaxed. Hawkmoth twitched, waiting for the cat to spring a surprise trap or alert his partner or do  _ something _ . But he just stood there, gazing up at the Villian as if he was a piece of boring artwork; slightly amused, yet clearly bored at what he was looking at.

Hawkmoth took a step forwards. Chat Noir didn’t move.

Another step, and nothing happened.

Hawkmoth growled, feeling his patience wear thing. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Chat Noir moved.

He brought his hands to his mouth, stuck one finger up on each hand, kissed the tips of those fingers, and blew a profanitized kiss in the direction of the Butterfly Villain.

Hawkmoth let out a snarl of rage, blinking angrily and getting ready to leap off his viewing point. But when his eyes opened a millisecond later, the cat was gone.

All he could hear was a high-pitched giggle in his ear.

A leg shifted, and Alya’s muffled voice startled the air, “Trixx, stop giggling. Go to sleep or you won’t have energy to transform tomorrow.”

Trixx muffled another laugh and curled up next to Wayzz.

What an idiot.

* * *

 

Ladybug and Chat Noir joined the group the next morning feeling more refreshed than ever before. The wide eyed, yet solemn faces before them looked energized as well. 

“Maybe we should’ve come here to begin with,” Chat murmured into his Lady’s ear. She nodded.

“Hey, everyone. Could you look over here for a minute? We need to make sure everyone understands their role for the next 24 hours,” Ladybug called.

The munching of food stopped as people gathered on the couches before Ladybug and Chat Noir. Pulling out a paper, Chat Noir cleared his throat.

“Hawkmoth takes three ten minute breaks every day, and three every night, to recharge his Kwami and rest. Normally, that’s not nearly enough time, but Le Paon has lended her abilities to him, so he’s much more powerful. He rests at Midnight, Four AM,  Eight AM, Noon, Four PM, and Eight PM. We’ve already missed the first three of the day, so our next target would be at Noon. While he’s on break, his Akuma’s are vulnerable, his Patrols are deactivated, but his Army is still available, because Le Paon’s breaks are at different times. We’re attacking the Akuma’s when he’s on break at Noon.  

“There are nine Akumas, and sixteen of us. Logically, that would make us pair you up into teams of two, and then have two people go solo.”

Ladybug jumped in, “So that’s what we did. It’s taken us a good full week, but we managed to logic out which pairs would be most effective against each Akuma, based off powers, abilities, agility, speed and strength, brain power, and past incidents. It was a long week, but you’re all paired up. We’ll get to that in a minute. After you guys take out your respective Akuma, we’re all gonna head to the same place: Hawkmoth and Le Paon. Those two will be our largest challenge of the day.”

“We do have good news though,” Chat Noir piped up. “The Army is not only slow, but they’re located far away from the majority of the Akuma’s lookout points and Hawkmoth’s location. If we’re lucky, we won’t have to deal with the citizens at all until they’re free from the Mind Control.”

“After we regain Nooroo and Duusuu, we will be collecting your Miraculouses and Kwamis. If you don’t give it back, however, we will hunt you down. And if you think we were violent before, wait until after I rip Hawkmoth in half for doing this to our city,” Ladybug stated, glaring at the students. They nodded, some nervously, others in understanding.

“Okay. That’s the basics of the plan. Now for the specifics. Each Akuma is located at a different place in the city. Hawkmoth is too, and then Le Paon rotates around. The Army is mostly located at the Stadium, but if Le Paon gets word of a fight, she’ll send her army towards that fight, so keep it on the down low. Hawkmoth is at the Eiffel Tower for most of his time, but he leaves to his “Hawk Lair” to recharge. That makes him almost completely oblivious during this time period of ten minutes. The Akumas also have some down time, where they hang out at the City Hall. But, around the time when Hawkmoth recharges they’re very active at their lookout points. They’re there an hour in advance and an hour after he recharges. Then they wreck the joint in the Mayor’s office or some shit.”

Chat pointed to his paper. “Okay. Miss Spell. She’s the one who can create things as long as she spells the word out in the air, pretty much always wrong. Her viewpoint is actually near the school, but she’s always sneaking over to the Dupain-Cheng bakery instead. I guess she has a sweet tooth, I don’t know. That’s when Ganika and Souris will ambush her,” Chat looked up to see Luka and Sabrina sharing a glance, before nodding in understanding.

“For Spitfire, we found out he likes to be high up, so he’s stationed at the top of Notre Dame. Mochyn and… Max, did you ever pick a name?”

“Ah, yes,” Max adjusted his glasses. “Muraga.”

“Okay, Mochyn and Muraga will be against Spitfire,” Ladybug made sure she remembered his name. Max sat next to Rose, most likely discussing ways to defeat Spitfire.

“Next is Minja. We know she hands out around the Eiffel Tower, but we don’t know if she’ll be staying in one place during that time. I suggest that Con Khi and Cazadora, you guys are against her, get ready to move around a lot. She doesn’t seem to be the type who likes to sit still.” Kim nodded to Mylene, who nervously took a deep breath and went over to talk to him. 

“Blackout is tricky to find, but after four days we found out she spends her time in the Louvre. Probably has something to do with the fact she was a painter. But she enjoys disappearing into the darkness, so we put Alix and Ignii with Sarpa. Alix, did you pick a name or no?”

“Reniflard,” she told them.    


“Reniflard and Sarpa against Blackout,” Chat Noir jotted down. Juleka moved over to sit with Alix.

“Capsizer is tough, as we all know. Bika and Reith, you guys are up against her. Unsurprisingly, she hangs out in the Seine. Just be ready, she’s quicker than she looks.” Ivan and Nathaniel nodded in understanding as they paired up.

“Queen Bee and Lila are against Lost Noise. Lila, pick a name?”

“Ummm… Lupina?” She questioned quietly.

“I like it,” Chat Noir said, cutting off Alix’s attempt at a rude comment. Ladybug shot her a look before continuing. 

“Okay, Queen Bee and Lupina are up against Lost Noise, who stations himself at Trocadero. You two need to be careful. If he’s using the right frequency, you could lose your head.”

Lila sat still as Chloe cautiously approached her. She sat down with a huff and continued listening.

“Rena Rouge and Carapace, you guys are up against Deadeye. He’s a tricky one, but we think he’s gonna be in the Ariane Tower, near Kids+, but he moves around a lot so be ready for anything.” Nino grabbed Alya’s hand reassuringly.   


“Ladybug and I will be taking on Czech Mate and Third Strike,” Chat Noir informed the group, shuffling through his papers. 

“By yourselves?” Alix raised an eyebrow. Ladybug cracked a smile.

“We’ve taken on all of you when you were Akumatized. How hard can this be?”

“What about their Akumas?” Ivan asked.

“We’re not 100% sure, as we’d have to break them to be completely sure, but we have a hunch for a few of them. Blackout has paintbrushes on her hip, Reniflard and Sarpa should try those. Lost Noise has some type of necklace, Lupina and Queen Bee can check that out.”

“Miss Spell has a ring, for Ganika and Souris to look at. And from what we’ve seen from afar, one of Deadeye’s eyes glow red. We’re guessing a self attached sight. Probably a good guess that its there, Rena and Carapace. I’d say look into that.”

“For the rest of you,” Chat Noir scratched his neck, “you’re gonna have to do your best.”

“What do we do with the Akuma when we’re done? Won’t they just fly away?” Kim questioned.

“Nope. ‘Cause we have these for you,” Ladybug dragged a bad from behind the couch into the view of her classmates. Their faces were dawned with sudden realization when she pulled out gray glass jars.

“Catch,” She called as she tossed one to Juleka. She fumbled, and it fell to the floor, completely unharmed. Max raised his eyebrows.    


“They’re durable.”

“They’re enchanted, thanks to a friend of ours,” Ladybug explained as she passed them out.

“Okay, so after you defeat and capture the Akuma, there’s going to be a very confused person sitting in front of you. Tell them that you’re there to help, and that you will explain everything later. Tell them to to go the City Hall and wait for Ladybug and Chat Noir to show up with the rest of you guys. Once we take care of Hawkmoth, we’re going to go back and explain everything that’s happened to them,” Chat Noir told them as Ladybug finished passing out the jars.

“I think that’s it. Any questions?” A hand shot into the air.

“What happens if we lose?”

“You won’t lose. The fate of the world depends on it,” Chat answered simply.

“Anyone else?” Ladybug tempted. No one else offered anything else, so Chat Noir clapped his hands together. 

“Okay. We have a couple hours left. I suggest you spend some time with your partner, learn how they think so it’s easier to fight with them. You’re gonna wish you knew everything about them once you start to fight alongside them, trust me.”   


The class murmured in agreement.

“Hey, guys?” Ladybug asked. Their attention snapped back to her. “I just want you all to know that what you’re doing right now? You’re the only people in the world who could do this. There’s no one else like you, no one else who would be strong enough to take on a challenge this large and have the ability to succeed. We’ve all been through some shit for the past four years with Hawkmoth looming over us. Without that experience, without that burning hatred for him that continued growing and growing with each passing day, you would never be able to be here right now. So stay strong. If Hawkmoth is our main goal in the end, we all know we’re gonna succeed. My fist has been dying to find his face for four years. Let’s finally grant it that ability, huh?”

Smiles broke out between the students. They nodded, a few claps here and there for the speech she had administered.

“Let’s get to work, guys. Suit up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay the next update will take a while and will also be looooonnnnggg  
> stay tuned!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This story is also up on my Fanfiction.net account, Anibelli. I'm trying AO3 out and we'll see what happens!


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